CURRENT MISSION

Listening, empathizing, growing

ABOUT ME

"Life has been some combination of fairy-tale coincidence and joie de vivre and shocks of beauty together with some hurtful self-questioning."

PHILOSOPHY

Empathy, listening
Imagination, curiosity, a sense of wonder
Emotional resilience
Embracing risk and failure
Whole-hearted living

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love the idea of couchsurfing and have really enjoyed my courchsurfing experiences so far! I've couchsurfed in Montreal, Paris, London, and Brussels. I really look forward to hosting when I have my own place!

Interests

Social justice, social and political theory, politics. Poverty, inequality, development, global health, the global south, emerging markets, social enterprise, social innovation, human-centered innovation
Literature, music, violin, theatre, art, philosophy
Being outdoors, camping, hiking, swimming, canoeing, dragonboating, biking
People

• arts
• literature
• beauty
• politics
• traveling
• music
• violin
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• canoeing
• camping
• swimming
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Comedies, drama, documentaries, foreign films. Jules et Jim, Annie Hall, Amelie, La Grande Seduction, Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Goodbye Lenin!, Away from Her, This is What Democracy Looks Like

Music: Classical, jazz, alternative. Beethoven, Sibelius, Chopin, Grumiaux, Kogan, Oistrakh; Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald, Sophie Milman; Nellie McKay, Gabriel Kahane, Feist, Regina Spektor

Books: Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamzov; Chekov; Hamlet, Macbeth; Oscar Wilde; Alice Munro

TV: West Wing, HBO Girls, Suits

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travelling in Tibet
Playing violin in an orchestra and a chamber strings ensemble
Wilderness camping in Algonquin park
Visiting the wailing wall in Jerusalem
Watching the sun rise and set on the Dead Sea
Wandering around the ancient city of Petra

Teach, Learn, Share

Share: music, good conversation, good times

Learn: I love learning about people - their idiosyncrasies, experiences, histories, ideas, passions, dreams. I love throwing myself into the unfamiliar and trying to make sense of different worldviews.

Teach: I'm happy to help anyone who wants to improve their English or learn Mandarin. I also want to improve my French and Mandarin and would love to practice those languages with anyone who wants to chat!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bangladesh, Canada, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Nepal, Netherlands, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, France, India, Israel, United States

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