CURRENT MISSION

To travel the world....

ABOUT ME

Back Home, in Vancouver, and heading out again at the end of the week to live in a new and exciting place, Salt Spring Island! A new page in my life of volunteering and creative practice.

My Mantra on the road:
With my adaptability, outgoingness, and desire to experience life like the locals I hope that I can with the helpfulness of the world at large have a wonderful experience!

oh Yeah... I am a VEGETARIAN....keep forgetting to mention that.

PHILOSOPHY

I must try it!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I tell every human being I meet the joys of couchsurfing! Really I spread the news like "the good word".
an evangelist of couch, a sister of the chesterfield.
A patron of the loverseat, of floor crashing, of cultural tango!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Stayed with an "Angel" in LA, she saved our tails as we were ending our bike tour and the $ was dry...
was a great experience and that is why couch surfing will be my first choice when I travel.

Now that I have traveled Europe my first choice is couchsurfing and the Slovenian hosts are the most loving, caring people!! Romanians will give you the shirt off their backs! And guys in Turkey are gentlemen and will let you make a mess of their kitchens! And the crew of couchsurfers in the UK (shout to Bristol here) are the most heart warming bunch every!! (Thanks everyone!) I have nothing to say but great things about couchsurfing!! :)

Interests

I have found the love of my life, my black trusty accordion and with lessons and patients am trying to make wonderful musica!

2011: The year of Balance, to travel with an open heart and give love and guidance to my global travelling community...share what I have learned on my many global adventures!

TRAVEL: yes, just like most people that join the couchsurfing project but alas I do have a passion for traveling and it seems to be a life long quest!

BIKING: Long-distance riding/bike touring: I find it one of the best ways to travel, a great way to view the world, and a bonus that you are in better shape when you get there than when you started!

HIKING: I like to gather friends and head into the great woods on the weekend and I have enjoyed hiking in the Julian Alps, Snowdonia, The Atlas Mountains, Anti-Atlas Mountains, and the lovely Coast Mountains of British Columbia!

Photography: I *heart* taking photos!

Getting CRAFTY! I help run a Kitch 'N' Stitch group in both Squamish BC and Vancouver, a place for folks to get together and get crafty: currently Vancouver: Monday nights....will post events! Crocheting, Knitting, Pottery (turn a bowl or two), jewelry making, re-fashioning ugh into luv.

COOKING: My kingdom for a kitchen! I LOVE to cook and often find myself volunteering to cook for my hosts (READ: I LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COOK FOR YA!) and I find the chance to cook WITH hosts and friends brings a chance to exchange culture experience new flavors and try to master eating with my right hand! (oh to be born a Lefty has its challenges!;)

VOLUNTEERING:where I am and when I can....in the past I have really enjoyed helping out in the local theater scene and music festivals...

• culture
• theater
• photography
• music festivals
• festivals
• tango
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• running
• walking
• news
• traveling
• pottery
• knitting
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• racquetball
• volunteering
• mountains
• squash

Music, Movies, and Books

I am REALLY into Gypsy music at the moment, Bulkan/Serbain music such as Boban Markovic, and the USA version, the band Beirut.

Anything with an accordion is up my alley!!

Indie music is a stable of mine but do enjoy most everything!

books tend to be travel oriented or guide books, anything about food really intersts me: Omnivores dilemma, Eating Animals, and the History of Salt are a few recent reads.
REALLY into POETRY at the moment, Pablo Neruda is amazing!

Movies...whatever is playing on the plane, but if I get a choice a international film fest, or mountain film fest is up my alley....

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

walked 800kms Camino to Santiago (Spain)
biked over 700 miles/1200KMS...North to South...North America

baked over 2000 VEGAN MUFFINS...kinda like walking across a country but different! ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

I have picked up a few things on the road that I will love to share with others...misc. info....

I can teach you how to make Marleen's Amazing Squash Soup!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United Kingdom

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