CURRENT MISSION

Live, learn, grow

ABOUT ME

My name is Liza, pronounced "lee-zah". I love to laugh and if you really get me laughing, it's contagious....the sort that makes your stomach hurt. I'm happy staying in on a Friday night or, even better, if there is a party, count me in. I love to dance, discover new places and be active.

I love to cook using fresh ingredients. I want to have a garden one day.. Since I've been home for a few months I've considered growing herbs in pots, but I'm not finished traveling yet.

PHILOSOPHY

My biggest fear is coming to the end of my life and wondering "if only..."

Dreams are the seeds from which tomorrow grows.
Leave things better than you found them

Despite the chaos, confusion, and isolation, I believe in the humanity in every person (i.e. my ability to connect with them on some level).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Long before I got a CS account of my own, I had heard, seen and experienced the CS effect and actually recommended it to numerous people.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've known about CS for a while now, but it wasn't until my trip back from Nicaragua to US that I actually experienced its boundless potential. I traveled with my then boyfriend who had an active account at the time. We connected with many wonderful people, sometimes just meeting up for coffee and other times surfing a couch. Either way, CS allowed me (us) to get an intimate look into life in Latin America.

Interests

Music: give me a beat, a relaxed atmosphere and watch me move. I can appreciate almost all music.
Art: be it in a museum, a gallery or in a studio, i love looking at it, making it and the smell of it (if you paint you know what I'm talking about)
Fitness: I only get one body, I wanna keep it strong so it can serve me well.

• arts
• dancing
• cooking
• recipes
• coffee
• fitness
• partying
• gardening
• traveling
• painting
• music
• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

Bob Marley, Chambao, Feist, Michael Jackson, Prince, India Irie, Gustavo Santaolalli, Enya....

Really interested in books/stories about development... Poverty does not have to be.

Debt: The First 5000 Years - David Graeber
Black Power - Kwame Ture
The People's History of the US - Howard Zinn
Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Paulo Freire
Live from Death Row - Mumia Abu-jamal

"A fistful of Rice" -Akula
"Half the Sky" -Kristof & WuDunn
"The World is Flat" -Friedman

I love social and political documentaries. I'm pretty into National Geographic series, and the like.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Tikal ruins in Guatemala; Day of the Dead in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico (really Zinacatan);

Teach, Learn, Share

We can trade "recipes"--although I'm an intuitive cook who rarely follows any recipe to the "t"

Countries I’ve Visited

Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua

Countries I’ve Lived In

Kenya, United States

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