CURRENT MISSION

Chasing rainbows!

ABOUT ME

I like to notice those little things that are very beautiful, but easy to miss if you aren't looking. :0)

One of my friends told me (as a complaint or compliment, I do not know): "Linda, you're interested in _everything_!" This is not true. But I do pride myself with a rather large capacity for enthusiasm. ;)

I'm an easy-going and social person. Most of the time I'm positive and optimistic about what I'm doing. (Sometimes, though, I just want to drop it all.)

My first couchsurfing experiences were in Ukraine during the spring and beginning of summer 2009, where I was doing anthropological fieldwork for my master thesis. I'm interested in the development of the environmental movement in the region (particularly volunteer organizations).

I've spent quite a lot of time living abroad. I've lived a year in Northern Ireland, working as an outdoor education instructor. I've spent five months in Hanoi, Vietnam as an intern for the Swedish Embassy - I was working with the department of Environmental Issues and Climate Change. I've also worked in Nicaragua with environmental education and in Nepal I was working with organic farming and rural development. Right now I’m working in the north of Sweden for an NGO that works with young people.

I am very interested in sustainable development and environmental issues.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm looking forward to surf more - and have more guests, too. I'm proud of having introduced a few new people into the community. :0)

Interests

I've started to be more and more interested in different forms of art - I would like to learn more about this! I’m part of a jester group that does various forms of flow arts like juggling and poi and also fire performances. I like writing, too. (I used to write fiction and poetry, but it happens more and more rarely nowadays.) I like LARP (esp. high fantasy themes), but that is another thing that I rarely have time to do nowadays.

When I have the chance, I like to sit at a nice cafe, discussing with a friend, reading, writing or just watching the world whirl by.

I love animals. I like flowers and gardening. I love to be out in the nature. To be next to water - and the sea in particular - is always raising my mood. I believe that to take walks is a wonderful way to spend one's time.

• animals
• arts
• writing
• poetry
• photography
• education
• environment
• yoga
• instructor
• gardening
• flowers
• reading
• juggling
• outdoor activities
• anthropology
• teaching
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime), Lord of the Rings, Watership Down, The Phantom of the Opera, Ghost, The Never-Ending Story, Avatar, The Last Unicorn, A Very Long Engagement, Maria Larssons Eviga Ögonblick, Pride and Predjudice, Bright Star, Edward Scissorhands, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Marie Antoinette, etc, etc

Tv-series: Firefly, Elementary, Dr Who, The Bletchley Circle, Lark Rise to Candleford, Sherlock, Black Mirror, Violet Evergarden, Star Trek, etc

Music: I'm rather open when it comes to taste in music. I like 80's, 70's music, old pop, old rock, I also like reagge and indiepop to listen to. I like to go out dancing! Then even techno (if it is more than just the beat) can be fun, too :0) I rather like "world music" whatever that is supposed to mean ;) and learnt to appreciate salsa and latin music during my time in Nicaragua. Irish music took no learning, I liked it it from the start :0)

Books: I love to read! I especially like fantasy and sci-fi, and also old detective stories a la Agatha Christie. My favorite authors are Robin Hobb and Roger Zelazny, Diana Wynne-Jones, Susan Cooper, China Miéville, Justina Robson, Naomi Novik, Frances Hardinge, Chinghiz Aitmatov, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Goudge, Scarlett Thomas, etc

I like poetry, too. Romantics such as John Keats, more modern day swedish poets Karin Boye, Tomas Tranströmer and spoken word performers such as Johannes Anyuru.

My academic interests would include mostly anthropology and sociology, (M Jackson, Z Bauman, L Abu-Luhgod, R Putnam, N Evernden, H. Gusterson, J.C Scott, K Milton, A Lowenhaupt Tsing, A Naess, etc) towards history and environmental sciences. I believe in interdiciplinarity.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've seen moonlight over midnight snow, neon lights reflecting on wet pavements and woken up to sunshine on morning tree-tops after a night in the forest. I've listened to the sound of frost playing on telephone wires, cuckoo calls through silver nights and sea spray hitting my windows on stormy nights.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach people how to do a bit of juggling and flow arts (though I am very much a beginner ;) - and how to make Swedish cakes! :0)
(If you happen to be interested, we can also discuss social anthropology and sustainable development through the night ;)

I want to learn more about different kinds of artistic expression (esp. street and political art). I want to learn Russian and improve my Spanish. I want to learn how to do macramé. I want to do yoga regularly. I want to learn horseriding ;) and more about permaculture. If you have some local sayings, I'd like to hear them too. :0)

Countries I’ve Lived In

Nepal, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Ukraine, Viet Nam

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