Greetings and salutations, fellow wandering comrades! I am Julia, you can call me Muffin, she/her. I moved in St. Louis in August 2017 settling down after work around Southeast Asia and some other continents for some time. I graduated in 2019 with my master’s level degrees in public health and social work and stayed here in STL city to experience corporate work, then NFP work, and now I also have my own private practice.

I grew up in the East, in NJ. St. Louis is an important place to truly understand what a hellscape US policy and manufactured consent can look like — anyway. it’s an affordable little gem and I think will get super popular in a decade.

I have a background in social work and teaching many things: English, technology use and swimming, and coping with life. I've worked at psychiatric hospitals and community centers, foundations and at Apple. I'm very interested in anti-capitalism, art and self-care.. and so it goes…

As a surfer I seek to be helpful, tidy and positive. Happy to take care of pets, children, chores or cook a meal.

If you're staying with me, my yogi mother Christa is here or traveling, and we have two (hypoallergenic) dogs Monty, and Gina and two chickens outside. Now, If you send a request please tell me your pronouns or favorite flower. It’s one of the ways we know that y’all read profiles 🃏

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Connection and sharing of space. I feel that I'm Living ‘my truth’ the most when I have moments of mutual understandings with other humans, if that makes sense.
So couchsurfing helps me do it.
Amazing people hosted me on the road and I enjoying repaying that kindness every time.

Interests

Creating, Trivia, exploring, nature and cooking meals for others. And of course discos.

• culture
• cooking
• painting
• karaoke
• hiking
• camping
• geography
• geopolitics
• social work
• sociology
• ukulele
• learning languages
• biking
• disco
• techno
• public health
• feminism
• counseling
• haiku
• data science
• botany
• political economy
• gerontology
• data visualization
• ideology
• racial equity

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all music and dancing, but my some* top artists/bands are the Slits, Crass, Pixies, Aphex Twin and Deee-Lite. Big fan of mindfulness and writings related to Buddhism, namely Thich Nhat Hahn. I also read a lot of political economic tragedies novel or nonfiction (climate change, disease, apocalyptic events). I enjoy Persian poets like Rumi, Khayyam. I don't watch many movies but I like the 5th element and I love the movie Koyaanisqatsi (and P. Glass scores). If I do watch live television, it's only watch the best program known to me... Jeopardy! TM

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Car camped from Muscat to Salalah, Oman.

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach heaps. Policy, geopolitics, the New Deal, guided meditation, critical thought, swimming, farsi, cooking, technology use, academia, healthcare, patience.

I want to learn everything good and be mindful and appreciative of the present in the presents

Sharing is caring.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Laundry, fridge, company, home meals

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Myanmar, Thailand, United States