COVID safety note - my child and I are vaccinated and our boosters are up to date. I will mask up if requested.

I want to accept guests soon... Currently trying to set up the guest room but also planning on traveling soon!

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I'm a single mother by choice. I have a toddler who is very sweet and easy going (i mean, for a toddler....).

I am a music teacher who plays many instruments and speaks many languages (well, for an American, low bar). I guess I just like having a lot of experiences.

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

LGBT guests and hosts are not only accepted but encouraged, btw :) my friend circle is pretty progressive. Also, F the rampant transphobia in this country. If you are trans or nonbinary, please know you have a safe place to be your self here.

I was born n raised in Vermont, til I went to Mt Holyoke College in MA. Then I became an awesome American living abroad.... in the early years of adulthood. I have spent four of them living in Spain, then one back in home sweet Vermont, then one in Philippines... then I left those white sandy beaches for the freezing cold of Vermont. I guess now I am a lame American who is settling in here.

PHILOSOPHY

Find what are passionate about, and do it. Even if you are simply passionate about appreciating the mundane in life. Find what you love and make the most of it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I joined CS back in 2009, when I moved to Madrid. Whenever I can, I host people, couch surf, and attend meet ups.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In the decade (Wow!) i have been on CS, the people I meet never cease to amaze me. I've made new friends, found travel buddies, and even found my own musical group to play with. I'll share with you my most recent story:

While teaching in the Philippines, I was having a pretty miserable time working in this bubble of an American school in the Philippines, feeling pretty bad about myself and lonely. Then a friend I had recently made (coincidentally a couch surfer), invited me to join him and a bunch of other CSers to go camping in 100 Islands, Pangasinan. From the moment I met everyone, it was as though we had known each other for years and just clicked. We camped on our own little island beach, told stories by a camp fire, saw sparkly plankton in the water that was like something out of a Disney cartoon...! I instantly had this group of friends that got my vibe and matched my spirit for adventure. We hung out a bunch more times, and I met more awesome people through that group. My only regret is that I met them kind of late, when I was already deciding to return to the US, so I wish we had met earlier.

Next time I move to a foreign country, I'll look to CS much sooner!

Interests

• dogs
• singing
• cooking
• walking
• comics
• traveling
• knitting
• music
• jazz
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• kayaking
• camping
• skiing
• rock climbing
• teaching
• languages
• tourism
• beaches
• ukulele
• beach
• trekking
• hippie
• playing ukulele
• campfires
• saxophone
• musicals
• camino de santiago
• musical instruments
• musical theatre

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC-- Juanes, Carla Bruni, Los Peces, Queen, Edith Piaf, Nena Daconte, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson, Manhattan Transfer, Rachel Goodrich, The Doors, AC/DC, Horace Silver, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis... so many!

MOVIES-- Get Out, But I'm a Cheerleader, ANYTHING by Mel Brooks, Amelie, ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW!!!, REPO, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hairspray, RENT

TV SERIES-- Crazy Ex Girlfriend (latest obsession!), The Good Place, Orange is the New Black, Queer as Folk, Dexter, Buffy, The L Word, How I Met Your Mother

BOOKS--

*Fiction: The Inferno (Dante), Hundred Secret Senses (Amy Tan), all of the Harry Potter books, Da Vinci Code

*Non-Fiction: Lies My Teacher Told Me, Guns, Germs, & Steel (Jared Diamond), Fast Food Nation (Eric Schlosser), the Omnivore's Dilemma (Michael Pollan), Free Lunch (Johnston), Lies and the Lying Lyers who tell them (Al Franken)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. In July 2012, I walked the Camino de Santiago. I hiked 800km (500mi for you Amuricans haha) from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela. It was a very profound experience for me. Ask me about it when we meet up.
/En Julio de 2012, recorrí el Camino de Santiago. Caminé 800km desde San Sebastián hasta Santiago de Compostela. Para mi fue una experiencia que muy profunda... pregúntame sobre ella cuando quedemos.

2. I saw LAS FALLAS in Valencia, which is definitely the coolest thing I've seen in Spain- it involved walking around Valencia, firecrackers going off all around you, seeing large paper mache statues (almost like 3D comics), then later seeing them BURN and FIZZLE,.... all while hanging out with a group of Bulgarians!
/Vi LAS FALLAS de Valencia, que es lo más halucinante de las cosas que he visto en españa. Me experiencia trató de andar por Valencia, petardos en cada lado, viendo gigantesco "ninots" que parecía como caricaturas en 3D, y luego mirandoles QUEMAR!!!!!!... todo mientras salía con un grupo de búlgaros.... jaja!

3. When I was 14, I traveled with my family to Iceland during winter. We had a private tour guide who drove us in his Land Rover up Mount Hekla (a volcano)... while it was erupting! AND we were followed by Danish journalists. At one point, while we were climbing up the rocks while we could see molten lava beneath, we took a break, and the Danish journalists took out some hot dogs to cook over the molten lava.
So I can now say I've had a lava-cooked hot dog!
/Cuando tenía 14 años, viajé con mi familia a Islandia en el invierno. Tuvimos un guía particular que nos llevaba con su Land Rover y subimos Mount Hekla (un volcán).... ¡mientras estaba en erupción! Unos periodistas daneses nos seguían. En un momento, mientras subíamos por las piedras, atrás de las cuales había lava líquido, descansamos allí un rato, y los periodistas daneses sacaron unos perros calientes para cocinar con el calor de la lava líquida.
¡Ahora puedo decir que he comido un perro caliente cocinado por lava!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can take you on a good hike that will kick your butt if you visit me in Vermont. I guess I could teach you basic music or jam with you too.

I can share the warmth of my heart. hahaha just kidding i have no warmth. :D OK, I can share my travel stories.

I occasionally bring my ukulele when I travel so I can sing you a song or we can jam.

What I Can Share with Hosts

some of the stuff I just said I guess...

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Bulgaria, Canada, Dominican Republic, France, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Philippines, Spain, United States

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