CURRENT MISSION

live like the traffic in vietnam: with surrender towards what seems complete chaos... in order to realize the hidden connections that create such perfect flow

ABOUT ME

i like to do too many things. really, it's often impossible to decide which one to focus on at any given time. i love people, i love exploring new parts of the world and new parts of myself, i want to live in a reality where people are connected to each other and give as they receive, (like in the cs community!)

one of the things i am currently doing is running a new business, aimed at taking small groups around the world to the incredible places that i've come to know very well. check it out! www.richerwithtravel.com

PHILOSOPHY

allow me to simply quote someone who said it better than i ever could...

"Wanderlust"
"The urge for adventure, the desire to know what is over the next hill are like echoes in the backs of our minds that speak of sounds not quite heard and places not quite seen.

Take the chances and follow the voices that call you to distant places. Live, if only for a short time, the life of a traveler. It is a life you will always cherish and never forget. You leave your home secure in your own knowledge and identity, but as you travel, the world in all its richness intervenes. You meet people you could not invent; you see scenes you could not imagine. Your own world, which was so large as to consume your whole life, becomes smaller and smaller until it is only one tiny dot in space and time. You will return a different person.

Many people don't want to be travelers. They would rather be tourists, flitting over the surface of other people's lives while never really leaving their own. They try to bring their own world with them wherever they go, or try to re-create the world they left. They do not want to risk the security of their understanding and see how small and limited their experiences really are. They move from hotel to hotel, protected by money and credit cards, and never really meet the world through which they are traveling.

To be a real traveler you must be willing to give yourself over to the moment and take yourself out of the center of your universe. You must believe totally in the lives of the people and the places where you find yourself.

Become part of the fabric of their everyday lives and you will get a sense of what it means to live in their worlds. Give yourself over them - embrace them rather than judge them - and you will find that the beauty in their lives and their world will become part of yours.

When you move on, you will have grown. You will realize that the possibilities of life in this world are endless, and that beneath our differences of languages and culture we all share the dream of loving and being loved, of having a life with more joy than sorrow.
You will never regret your choice.

To be sure, there will be moments of doubt when you stand alone on an empty road in an icy rain, or when you are ill with the fever in a rented bed. But as the pains of the moment will come, so too will they fall away.

And when you get old, and your body has begun to fail you, the memories will be waiting for you. They will lift you and carry you over mountains and oceans. You will hold them and turn them and watch them catch the sunlight as they come alive once more in your imagination, You will be rich and you will be at peace.

In the end, you will be so much richer, so much stronger, so much clearer, so much happier, and so much better a person that all risk and hardship will seem like nothing compared to the knowledge and wisdom you have gained."

-Kent Nerburn

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

i signed up when i was living in korea, and while there i hosted once and surfed once. then, for a few months last year, my partner and i were hosting travelers in cambodia and connecting with people at the cs meet-ups in phnom penh.

we surfed a couple of times after that while traveling in asia, hosted while in scotland, surfed again in eastern europe, hosted in costa rica for a little while, and now it's time to surf again!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

i've met nothing but really good people through this community.

Interests

is it necessary to mention travel? ...also: art, the ocean, light, live music, writing, stimulating conversations, road trips, camping and hiking, yoga, being out of my element, boats, cooking delicious food, eating delicious food, gardening, scuba diving, playing guitar, snowboarding, photography, cheesecake, circus arts, the idea that one day i WILL be able to surf, the feeling of sunshine on my skin.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• photography
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• yoga
• running
• gardening
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• live music
• guitar
• hiking
• camping
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• business
• languages
• road trips
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

yes please.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

hiking up to 5416 meters high in the himalayas. a journey that included blessings from a 95 year old lama, the sunset chanting of monks echoing off of pristine peaks, gazing upon the 'gateway to heaven', a 24 hour snowstorm, absolutely incredible company, sudden illness, and in the end an almost solitary climb up to the highest point of the annapurna circuit.

Teach, Learn, Share

hmm... i'm honestly not sure what to put here. i'd be happy to help you practice english, cook up a yummy vegetarian meal, or do some yoga together. maybe the most help i can be is to fill you in on some of the places i've traveled to or lived, if you're keen to go there yourself.

i'm currently trying to improve my spanish, so anyone who wants to help us out is greatly appreciated!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Poland, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cambodia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States

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