CURRENT MISSION

Live your life!

ABOUT ME

I feel like this changes all the time! I am a person who enjoys life. I love to laugh, meet incredible new people and experience as much as possible.

I am a teacher but often time I end up being the student, learning so much from my students. I have lived in Arizona as a 3rd grade teacher for 5 years, Madrid as an English teacher for about 5 more and now and I am a Language Director in Shanghai and love it. I'm still new to China and looking to explore a bit.

Traveling is my favorite past/present/future. I would love to go most places in the world and again experience this beautiful world we live in .

PHILOSOPHY

¨I believe in paradise, but now at least I know it is not some place you can look for. It´s not where you go, its how you feel for a moment in your life when you are a part of something. And if you find that moment, it lasts forever.¨ - The Beach

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have participated with CS since I moved to Madrid. I have hosted a few people in Spain but met with many all over Europe..... CS has changed my philosophy of travel and life really.

When adventurous and interesting people are only a click away...there ia no need to be a tourist when you can become a friend.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I hosted David and Soren from Italy and we had an international food party. I met up with Jorge from Lisboa for drinks and a walk around Madrid. Francesco took me all over Rome and showed me things I would never have been able to find and I returned the favor in Madrid. Luca took me and a hostel friend out for Italian Karaoke. Alex made my trip to a tiny city in Tuscany unforgettable and later our reunion a year later in Verona even better..Mario and Flavio took me out in Napoli fo pizzas, drinks and a view of Mt Vesuvious....to later return the favor in Spain...... Met others for dancing, drinks, picnics and walks.... I am a lucky girl to have so many amazing friends all ofver the world....

Met up with Mario and friends in Napoli, Stayed with Dario in Florence, Made friends with Alex in Barga and so many more!!!

Without CS my travels would not have been as much fun as they are! I am very grateful for CS!

Interests

Laughing at the silly simple things in life, exploring the new, the old and unfamiliar, painting/drawing still life, portraits and scenery, meeting new people from all over the world!

• dancing
• human rights
• dining
• cooking
• mexican food
• partying
• drinking
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• karaoke
• cycling
• equestrian
• teaching
• languages
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

City of God, The Kite Runner, Sublime, Jack Johnson, Julieta Venegas, "Understanding the Framework of Poverty"- Ruby Payne,The Motorcycle Diaries, A People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I love this question!- Explored the Morrish Castle Ruins in Sintra, Lisbon- Participated in an International Food Fight - La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain- Saw giant statues burn in Las Fallas in Valencia Spain- Went horseback riding in the Jamaican ocean-Seen Artwork from DaVinci, Picasso, Michelangelo, Donatello, Dali, Miro and many many many more!!! - Hitch hiked up and down Tuscan mountains - Rode a bike through the Amsterdam tulip fields-Swam in the Almafi coast- Be a teacher to my students. I have impacted over 1,200 students over my teaching career and still talk to a lot of them I send them postcards from abroad and I am determined to help my children understand that the world is a giant and amazing place, and encourage them to travel and get to know their own world. I love my students!- Participated and researched a bi-national non-profit organization on the Mexican border. I helped the community of Nogales, MExico and helped to spread the knowledge of the impact of the border on the residents of Mexico. This amongst many of my experiences in the Southwest led me to become a human rights activist.- BECAME PART OF THE CS COMMUNITYMy Travel Music Videos : ) La Tomatina, Spain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEe604AoTJQItaly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-gH_y0RVzUSouth of Spain Roadtrip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEuHPu1DetELisboa, Portugal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftSsTb_67hE

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to cook (especially Mexican food,) speak English or even Teach English! I was a teacher for 5 years in the states and I teach English in Madrid now, so I have a lot of experience : ) In that case I can also teach you how to make children behave (I was a classroom management training associate in the states as well)

I want to learn languages, play an instrument (guitar would be amazing), learn how to create (pretty much anything- especially local artisan type creations).