CURRENT MISSION

To live truely... find the essence of the day, even if it´s in a good coffee

ABOUT ME

Penny - To fill this in do I have to know who I am?!

I´m trying to answer that everyday...

In my past: I grew up in country Victoria. A very cute town called Yackandandah in the foot hills of the snow fields. Idealic lifestyle really. A great (and crazy) family with two sisters and two brothers, loving mum and dad. We all love being outside, and sharing families dinners. We had chooks, dogs, cats, a cow, sheep and a vege garden. My best friend lived next door. She made me watch horror movies, I made her get up early and go for long bike rides.

I still value small towns for the closeness of the community of people. Genuine relationships and simple tasks and events creating happy times.

Right now I am a full time mother. THE most challenging and incredible job I have done.

In another life (it seems) my most significant job was working a in a Steiner School for six years as an Outdoor Education (camping) Teacher.

PHILOSOPHY

I like to 'suck the marrow out of life' (H.D. Thoreau) if that means sitting in the gutter of a city just watching it live or climbing up a mountain to watch sunrise, a sly skinning dip in a stream in the forest or dancing to a crazy Gypsy band with a wacky rhythm. Getting to the essence of each place, person and myself as far as possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Couchsurfing changed the whole way I travelled six months into a year in Europe. Suddenly each place became so much more than Lonely Planet. Travelling became entering the life of each place authentically with gorgeous personal relationships that have lasted for years.

Having camped in some of Australia's most beautiful places and sort out we would love to share them with you.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

With my sister beside me I stood nervously at the Monemstraki Metro station, downtown Athens awaiting my first ever host... across the room a woman with funky glasses recognised the two waiting figues as waiting for her. A warm open happy smile glowed on her face. "Hi" said Sissi as she kissed both my cheeks and held my hands. I had just greeted an old friend that I had never met. Over the next three days we had to catch up on that 30 years we had spent apart.

Again and again I have this experience with Couch Surfing. Meeting people you feel you have know for such a long time and the pleasure of sharing a real life experience with them is inccreadible.

Interests

Camping in beautiful places, Clear water swims, Cooking, Walking in the mountains, on the beach or in cooky little towns, Museums, Drinking coffee (especially standing up at a bar with the locals in Italy) Talking about and investigating love, soul-life, pain... all the nice gritty bits of being human in the world.

• cats
• dogs
• culture
• perfumes
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• walking
• drinking
• gardening
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• knitting
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• camping
• surfing
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Books:
Perfume, Past the Shallows, Shantaram, Midnights Children, Eucalyptus, The Time Travellers Wife, The Life of Pi

Movies:
Amalie for it´s beauty and playful truth of a person being themselves in the world.

Music:
The Waifs, Paul Kelly, Blind Boys of Alabama, The Audreys, Xavier Rudd...any good stuff, live, in a cosy place you can have a boogy

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Apart from take this trip to Europe...
Being a teacher in a Steiner School for six years. It really is a great occupation, the children teach you so much about yourself, it is frightening and reassuring at the same time.

Teach, Learn, Share

Love to learn - cooking from any culture, biodynamic farming / gardening, finally how to play the guitar, where a great place to see a band and eat good food is.

Can teach - how to go into the Australian bush and learn what there is to discover, go slowly, explore.
- knitting, crotchet, surfing, swimming bushwalking and getting into the nature

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia

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