CURRENT MISSION

To explore, learn, evolve, make new friends, go adventuring...In short, enjoy life to the fullest.

ABOUT ME

Hi there, I am a friendly,easy going, responsible open person--really, I am! For the past 6 years, I have worked as a children's librarian, swimming instructor, and babysitter; I've also done quite a bit of volunteer and fundraising work for literacy based organizations in NYC. A Brooklynite/New Yorker for the past 9 yrs, I am excited to break free from the "concrete jungle" for a bit! I am somewhat of a novice traveler; I have traveled a bit in Europe, North America and Puerto Rico and have always had an urgent and strong desire to see much more of the planet...Now I'm finally getting to do just that! I love cooking, film, reading (of course), art, swimming, hiking, dancing, wine and love animals (cat owner).

PHILOSOPHY

I am a humanist who lives by the "golden rule". A realist who strives for ideals. Romantic, but pragmatic. A risk taker: Carpe Diem! Follow your bliss..."The love you take is the love you make".

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Just joined up so I'm hoping to have some good experiences with this couch surfing thang...It would be lovely to return the favor to fellow travelers when my feet get weary and I return to NYC!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Friends' houses; never stayed with "strangers".

Interests

Hiking, swimming, nature, reading, wine, food, cooking/baking, dancing, film, photography, art, animals, poetry, bee-keeping, philanthropy, travel, libraries, intelligent conversation, community activism, theater, architecture, humanism, good vibes!!

• animals
• cats
• arts
• culture
• poetry
• theater
• architecture
• photography
• dancing
• philanthropy
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• baking
• instructor
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• hiking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• rock climbing
• swimming
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

EE Cummings, New Order, Fela Kuti, Walt Whitman, LCD sound system,Pablo Neruda, The Clash, Goldfrapp, The Cure, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Arcade Fire, Beethoven, dogma 95, woody allen, daft punk, chemical brothers, the Pixies, "Random Family", Kazuo Ishiguro, The Dark Materials trilogy by Pullman, Hal Hartley, Hundertwasser, Munch, Scheile, Cindy Sherman, Larry CLark, Siddhartha, Harriet the Spy, Sally Mann, August: Osage County, Revolutionary Road (the book!), The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Todd Hido, Gaudi, "The Passenger", Little Britain, Fellini, Bergman, Hitchcock, Dub/dancehall (Trojan Records!), Cut-copy, Broken Social Scene, etc., etc,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travel-related: Horse-back riding in Iceland, rock climbing, hiking and cliff diving in Arizona & Utah, lightning storms in Arizona, swimming in the biobay in Puerto Rico, experiencing "bioluminescence".
At home: being part of a community as a public librarian; I got the chance to be a friend to children and families (most of which live in the "projects" or the "ghetto") and feeling as though I made a difference in their lives.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am interested in learning about the culture of those with whom I stay; I love meeting people from places that vary greatly from New York!

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States