CURRENT MISSION

To make it through the summer ;p

ABOUT ME

aargh! See details below? I wish for world peace and I like maps :) Oh, and I'd like to build my own environmentally friendly house with a veggie and herb garden patch some day (but I've killed every edible plant I've grown so far *sigh*). I strongly believe that I'm meant to help people change the way they live with the earth, but just haven't figured out how yet. I'm a pescetarian seriously trying to give up eating fish.And I love sea-turtles.

My grand plan to house millions of people in SA is to build houses using hemp and locally sourced natural products. I think Hemp is potentially one of the greatest resources we could tap into in SA - providing food (seeds), oils for health, preventing soil erosion, providing localised work opportunities for small farmers, raw materials for clothing and paper. (sorry, bit of a tangent!)

PHILOSOPHY

Tread lightly: leave a legacy of memories and positive motivation, not destruction. Mixed with a bit of this:
"If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree." W. B. Yeats
and a bit of this:
"Whatever you dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it." Goethe

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm new, so I'm learning how to participate as I go along. For now I'm just reaching out to people to say hello. I've joined 2 groups. I hope to be able to host people when I return from my trip (if they don't mind the tiny couch) and even more when I move next year from my tiny shoe-box studio flat. In the interim I want to meet people who are travelling and share laughs, experiences, coffee, wine or beer!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

St Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Gothenburg & Malmo, Sweden; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Interests

Climate change policy, environmental preservation, languages, clouds, sudoko, scrabble, cycling (not competitively), website design. Green architecture, beautiful design (houses, furniture, anything), train trips, watching cricket. I get most excited by having long heated debates with friends over red wine - I like that sensation when you learn something new and you can actually feel your paradigm changing - ace!

• animals
• fish
• architecture
• design
• dining
• wine
• red wine
• beer
• coffee
• gardening
• clothing
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• magic
• cycling
• fishing
• boxing
• cricket
• cartography
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Pixies, REM, Violent Femmes, U2, Blue October, Oran Lavie, Death Cab for Cutie, Beck, Tafetas, The Eels, Norah Jones, Madeline Peroux, Alanis Morissette, Matthew van der Want, Freshly Ground, Gotan Project, Simon & Garfunkel, Damien Rice, Finlay Quaye, Travis, Coldplay, Supertramp, Watershed, Parlotones, Nina Simone, Suzanne Vega, Nat King Cole.
Books:
'Heat' by George Monbiot, 'Entertaining Angels', M. vd. Vyfer; 'Sexing the Cherry' by Jeanette Winterson; 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Sense and Sensibility' by Jane Austin, 'Strange Days Indeed', Shaun Johnson, 'Dark Star Safari', by Paul Theroux.
Movies:
Grosse Point Blank, Bourne trilogy (esp first one), Life is Beautiful (I sob my heart out every time), Lost in Translation, Benny and Joon, Jacob's Ladder, Dead Poet's Society, Sliding Doors,Dogma, Greenfingers, All About My Mother, Good Morning Vietnam, Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, Chocolat, Amelie.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I lived through South Africa's transition from Apartheid to democracy. I stood in the line to vote even though I was too young, but I had to be part of it. I've seen children grow into adults - how much more amazing can it get? I came 13th in a nation-wide English essay competition - does that count? Oh, and the first time I ever voted in an election, I voted for myself!

Teach, Learn, Share

The UNFCCC, Climate Change in general. Website design and blogging platforms. I want to learn how to let go of the desire to accumulate stuff without worrying that I'll end up a lonely old lady being eaten by wild animals. Can do a basic Indian Head massage - been told it's very relaxing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Singapore, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom

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