CURRENT MISSION

As Gide said.... "To discover new lands, one must consent to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."

ABOUT ME

I'm an American now living in the UK, been here since 2005... and was in Canada before that... so my accent is bonkers.

PHILOSOPHY

I try to be pretty easygoing and keep my eyes open to life. If life hands you an opportunity, say YES. (Ask questions later.) If there aren't any opportunities, make them. Always be a little less judgmental. I think it's important to work to better others and find fulfillment rather than aspire to monetary goals. Connect with people and see where that leads you. Travel is just one way of placing yourself within the world and expanding your depth of experience. (Reading is good for this as well.) You can laugh at everything if you look at it in the right way, and trying to find the silliness in life is a good way to live it, in my opinion. Laughter is probably my only real personal philosophy. Dark humour is still humour.
My worklife is based on believing that friendships are at the core of who we are.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have mostly surfed thus far because of living in shared accommodation but hopefully this will change soon! My experiences have been positive so far and I really enjoy meeting new people when travelling.

Interests

Music, reading, art, knitting, running, hiking, regional history, beer, psychology, politics, cooking, film, socialising... I suppose it's more useful to list what I'm *not* interested in? (hmm... maybe kayaking as the idea of the underwater roll freaks me out! And football. Doesn't do it for me.)
UPDATE: I have now taken a kayaking class and it is awesome. I still can't do the underwater roll but could probably survive disaster if need be.
OK more specifically: I really like knitting and all crafts, local foods, local/folk music, wandering around looking at architecture, hiking up tall things, talking about ideas, seeing other people get excited about stuff!

• arts
• writing
• architecture
• cooking
• beer
• baking
• running
• crafts
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• knitting
• drawing
• music
• folk music
• hiking
• kayaking
• soccer
• history
• psychology
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I like a wide range of music, and enjoy going to see live bands of all kinds. I have made it my mission now to go to one international music festival every year - in 2009 it was Ghent (Belgium), in 2010 it was Koprivshtitsa (Bulgaria), and in 2012 it was the Zakopane Mountain Folklore Festival (Poland).
I read a lot, couldn't possibly list all my favourite authors, but I am happy to discuss! (And to loan books -- if you're not reading them, set them free!)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sunsets in the Atlas mountains come to mind.
Hiking Ben Nevis.
It doesn't really count for travelling, since it's in my hometown, but the Metropolitan Museum of Art never fails to feel like home.
But really... try to do amazing things all the time. A few nights ago it was snowing (a rarity where I live) and I ran out in pajamas and did a snow angel. There is stuff to be excited about all the time!

Teach, Learn, Share

My skills are of the "pleasant but not really useful" variety. Cooking, baking, knitting, drawing. Fascination with random historical periods eg Italian Renaissance. Work-related skills of no interest to anyone (research). I have taught English and writing, casually. If these are of interest then I am happy to share.
I like learning a bit of the language when I go somewhere, also local crafts and to cook local dishes. I am trying to learn Bulgarian lace knitting, it's hard!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United Kingdom, United States