Reasons why I will decline your request:

*If you created your profile yesterday and are looking to crash at someone's place without having invested into the CS community, have 0 references, ask to stay for a week..
*If you do not have any information on your profile.
*You have no references.
*Don't communicate how long you will be in town, or when you will be arriving.

MY INTERESTS
I've always enjoyed being outside, fresh air, mountains, hikes, interesting and intellectual conversations, memorable meals made by creative cooks, eating my fruits and veggies :-), subtitled movies, reading 5 books at once but never finishing any of them, free live music at any park, especially at night time, full moon gazing!, hammocking, bbqing, volunteering, dancing outside, dancing inside, dancing on my bike, dancing while I am showering, dancing while I am playing kickball, singing off key in public or in my car, riding my bicycle downtown (street riding), cooking, traveling, kickball games, cheesy bachata songs, bricolage (just about everything!), making jewelry, silly people with a contagious laugh and warm smile, and anyone that can make me laugh so hard that I'm choking.

I am the queen of the snacks - I always have snacks in my bag, or cooler! Some people have called me "a pain in the ass" for always packing snacks, but when it's time to enjoy said snacks magically I'm no longer a pain in the ass and my snacks disappear. Ah-ha!!!!!

PHILOSOPHY

It's not the places you go,; It's not the things you do; It's the people you share it with that makes life meaningful. Having a great job that makes a lot of money is great. Owning expensive toys and impressing people with them is great. Traveling is great. Listing off all the places you've been to is great. But in the end, I am more interested in learning about the connections you've made along the way, how you've shared meaningfully with someone, and how you've been able to give energy to someone and not just take energy because you have a visa and a passport and you went to a poor country from a rich country.
Sharing meaningfully is not dependent on (geo)location. I don’t just want to travel to places to say I’ve been there. I’m interested in sharing experiences with others.

My goal in life is not to meet thousands and thousands of people and make many superficial exchanges based solely on nights out drinking. My goal is more along the lines of getting to get to know a few people, well, and to become life long friends. I guess the introvert in me doesn’t really want thousands of superficial friendships.

“Life exists because there is death — one contains the other. Just as joy has no meaning without sorrow, a beginning must have an end. But every end makes a new beginning possible.”

The more I travel and learn from others the more I realize that the people with the least amount of financial resources are the happiest and most grateful, while those who have given everything are always projecting their expectations on everyone and the most unhappy. It's ironic, isn't it? Levi Strauss said you cannot judge the merit or value of another culture based on your own culture norms, expectations, rules, etc.

I spend my time practicing yoga and meditating. I feel like the stronger I can make my body, my mind and my soul the better I will have to offer others. Lots of work but totally worth it. I would like to attend another yoga conference soon!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I participate more by hosting than by surfing and attending CS Events, or actually CREATING CS events.
Although, in the near future I would like to do more traveling/surfing.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've met a few Couch Surfers as they come through town; most of which have been positive experiences to say the least. I have made some pretty amazing friends thanks to CS!

Our Airbnb long-term guests have been amusing as well. We’ve enjoyed the company of a French chef who cooked for us every day for 2 months and who cried when he left us because he had never had stable neighbors who weren’t trying to rob him! 😂😂 As well as an Australian immigration and civil rights lawyer. Volunteering with her to translate for Congolese immigrants who had spent 6 months traveling on foot through south and central American jungles was the first time I spoke French and felt the language was useful, for once! We also hosted a couple who has been married for 40 years and learned so much from them!!

I use to go to CS meet ups in town and have attended a few road trips with fellow San Antonio and Austin Couch Surfers. I’ve started creating events where I travel to and have found that to be a blast!

Interests

Sharing sunsets with awesome people, awesome people
Sharing sunsets with me;
Laughing loudly until snorting; cooking, or attempting new culinary endeavours;
Pretending to travel more than I actually do or can;
LIVE music, any genre as long as it is good and I can dance to it;
art gallery hopping;
riding my bike and falling off and hitting my head;

• arts
• festivals
• dancing
• salsa dancing
• cooking
• wine
• yoga
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• surfing
• road trips
• mountains
• paddling
• crafting
• singing in the shower
• singing off key

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC
....way way way too much, but lately...
Black Pumas from Austin, Texas!
Grupo Fantasma from Austin, Te as
Brownout from Austin, Texas
Michael Kiwanuka
“Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
Grover Washington, Jr. - Inner City Blues
Murali Coryell's Blues!
Otis Redding
Till Brönner
Imagine Dragons
Bebel Gilberto!
Muddy Waters
The Killers
Brandon Niederauer
Gary Clark, Jr. from Austin, Texas
Jackie Venson from Austin, Texas

Cheesy Bachata artist Romeo Santos!
Chez Le Photographe du Hotel - Miles Davis
Flamenco Sketches - Miles Davis
Autumn Leaves - Cannonball Adderly and Miles Davis
It Never Entered My Mind - Miles Davis Quintet
Arturo Sandoval!!!!
Donald Byrd
Chet Baker
Beirut - Ibrahim Maloouf
Rodrigo y Gabriela most of their songs....
Ray La Montagne
Florence and the Machine
D'Improvviso and Maria Moita - Rosalia de Souza
Fico Assim Sem Você - Adriana Calcanhoto

Most Cuban Music (son, danzon, mambo, cha cha, old school music!)

Any salsa music with lots of brass!
Que Precio Tiene El Cielo - Marc Anthony!
Vivir La Vida - Marc Anthony
El Preso - Fruko y Sus Tesos
No Le Pegue a La Negra - Joe Arroyo
Aguanile - Hector Lavoe
Tu Amor Me Hace Bien - Marc Anthony
Too much actually!!!

Anything that can get me dancing, moving, grooving...

MOVIES
Food Guide to Love
Amelie
Nikola Tesla: The Master of Lightning
The Botany of Desire
Mar Adentro
Le Scaphandre et Le Papillon
Cinema Paradiso
L'Auberge Espagnol
Forks Over Knives
World According to Monsanto
Food Matters
Fat Sick and Nearly Dead
The Great Culling: Our Water
Even the Rain
What the Bleep Do We Know!?
Shawshank Redemption

BOOKS

The Gifts of Imperfection - Brené Brown

The Orchid and the Dandelion - W. Thomas Boyce

The All or Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work - Eli Finkel

How to Love - Thich Nhat Hanh

Las Venas Abiertas de America Latina - Eduardo Galeano

Tristes Tropiques - Claude Lévi-Strauss
Jacques Derrida

Jane Austen when I was very young!

Alain de Botton

Albert Camus

Jean Paul Sarte

Pablo Neruda

Paul Eluard

Pema Chodron

Le Mythe de Sisyphe - Albert Camus

I have so many books, its hard to say, but I always end up in the philosophy section no matter what store I walk into.

Cook books sans doute ! :-)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I am still working on compiling this list, but meeting Bastien and Virginie was pretty incredible and life changing! Bastien is a truly inspirational person! I have met so many different types of people, but he getting around in a wheelchair did not preclude him from cooking dinner every night, making pizzas from scratch, washing all the dishes. Most French people love complaining, but not once in the one week he stayed with me did he complain. Quite the contrary, he even fixed all the flat tires on my bikes in less than a minute each.

I attended a yoga conference in Boulder, Colorado and I would really like to do that again, and more often!

Volunteering in Spain was simply amazing!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can make my guests fat in a few short days!

Many people steal my recipes, especially the one for guacamole!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Lots and lots of food!
Me running around the kitchen with a violin and tap shoes.... just kidding! I reserve that for very special guests.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Italy, United States

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