CURRENT MISSION

to create positive change, explore the worlds diversity with openess

ABOUT ME

I'm open minded and interested to meet a variety of people and see the diverse expanse of the world.. My soul is fed by cycling, music, good wholesome food, hugs, spending time with warm open minded people. I'm trying to find my path in life and am enjoying dipping in and out of different people and places bubbles. I care about the environment and my effect on it and this motivates my life in many ways. I believe everyone has a right to express their own individuality and shouldn't be catagorised by any ideological label. Mutual respect for each persons life choices is a must

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in respecting and learning from people and the environments you move through.

I am commited to social change, anti-capitalism, creating global community, anti-oppression, non judgemental approaches and non-confrontational solutions.

I am a strong believer in organic sustainable living and want to learn more through wwoofing. I would like to work and learn on a place that is the process of creating sustainability within their community. Sustainability is important to me because it by its very nature reduces carbon emissions and subverts a system of product/consumer. We have become increasingly distanced from the roots of what grounds us in the world and what the earth provides to us and how we can work with it and for the betterment of it rather than against it and towards its destruction. Technology, globalisation and mechanisation have made us become distanced from the changes of the seasons and the annual cycle of life and death in the natural world within this. The availability and range of produce available has distanced us from what is going on in the natural world at that time. Local seasonal veg provides the nourishment our bodies need at that time of year. I believe the mechanisation and globalisation of food, technology and energy industries creates exploitation, unnecessary carbon emission, unhealthy living and working conditions that perpetuate a capitalist hierarchical class system that isolates people from each other and the ground at their feet. I feel the way of freeing yourself from this system is by gaining the skills to create what you need to sustain yourself in life and passing these skills on to others. I don’t like socially subscribed labels or boxes that try to categorise, and/or put borders on peoples self expression. I feel this isolates people. I identify with a lot of anarchist principles: the power of the collective and of each individuals choices and actions. I have a background in environmental art (public art) i.e. art that is made to respond to an environment or place. I have spent several years working for a health food co-op in Brighton, UK and I would like to learn more about organics from a sustainable anti-capitalist context. I believe in treating others as you would like to be treated and I include the planet within this. I believe in investing energy and time in the environment and creating social change through the individual action. Ethics and passion guide my heart through its journey in this life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm inspired by the global community couchsurfing creates learning, sharing experiences and exploring this world w people.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Informal couchsurfing in the US and Canada, had great experiences by exchanging emails w people and hooking up w friends of friends whilst travelling and have found participating and being welcomed into different people's bubbles has been inspiring and the best education you can get.. life! Had some awesome experiences in NZ via connections I made on couchsurfer.

Interests

I believe energy and positivity is created by each individual and I try to live by the philosphy treat others as you would like to be treated and mutually respect and appreciate people's individuality. I believe in not making judgements about people but listening to them and learning from and with them.

I'm new to Edinburgh but places I would suggest going if you visit London or Brighton are:-

Housman's an anarchist bookshop in Kings Cross, London
http://www.housmans.com/

Freedom Bookshop (check the opening times) in Whitechapel
http://www.freedompress.org.uk/public/news.oml.html

The squatters advisory service is also in this building but again check the opening times
http://www.squatter.org.uk/

Larc is another social centre in Whitechapel
http://www.londonarc.org/index.php?section=19

The 56a Infoshop is near Elephant and Castle and has a bike workshop
http://www.56a.org.uk/

The cowley club is a collectively run social centre which has a delicious cafe, zines, library, video archive and has gigs and activist meetings regularly.

http://www.cowleyclub.org.uk/

If you need some grub Infinity Foods is a lovely co-op which sells local seasonal organic veg and wholefoods (I worked there for a couple of years and it was one of the lovliest places and I feel really helped me gain confidence in myself and my beliefs and in the power of friends and warmth towards people and ethical living and thinking) they also have a cafe down the road.
http://www.infinityfoodsretail.co.uk/our_beliefs/

If you're looking for housing or a travel buddy they also have a notice board which is a good way to network in brighton.

If you are in Europe over the summer and fancy checking out some queer festivals I suggest Copenhagen I went last year and it was awesome. It's a collectively run festival so everyone pitches in and there isnt a fee but people are expected to chip in for food which is collectively found/bought and cooked.
http://www.myspace.com/copenhagenqueerfestival

Also in London Club Wotever is a great place to go for whoever wotever sexuality or gender you may or may not identify with just no woteverism.

www.woteverworld.co.uk

London Coalition Against Poverty does some great stuff too.

http://www.lcap.org.uk/

I would also suggest searching the riseuplists for groups that might interest you in different places you may be travelling

https://lists.riseup.net/www

Wow thats a lot of stuff hope some of it's useful it's been a great source of inspiration and meeting lovely people committed to social change for me.

Enjoy..

• arts
• festivals
• education
• environment
• ethics
• dining
• running
• clubbing
• technology
• news
• traveling
• investing
• music
• cycling
• teaching
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

I like to read Zines, Graphic Novels..I love Blankets by Craig Thompson, Ariel Schrag and Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Richard Feynman is a legend comically and intellectually, just getting into Jeanette Winterson's futuristic/ cyborg books, love Haruki Murakami, Think on These Things by Krishnamurti; very philosophically open and broadening. I also read a great zine recently called Funny Weather which I feel everyone should read and am gonna try and get it into some anarchist bookshops I passed through in my travels here's the link to the e-zine

www.funnyweather.org

It's kinda about climate change and capitalism and approaches it in a readable and insightful way.

I want to read some Emma Goldman and am interested in reading Chomsky's thoughts on Anarchism and more about Foucault's philosophy.

I recently came to the realisation I definately agree with a lot of socialist philosophies of life after reading a zine called What Socialism stands for by Stephanie Coontz

Over the past 5 years or so I have also realised I stand by a lot of anarchist philosophies of living and am working towards living outside of a capitalist system of products and consumers, exploitation and profit, binary systems of thought in general.

My friend scratch recently compiled a zine about the spectrum of gender expression called masculine femininity
http://masculinefemininities.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/masculine-femininity-issue-1/

.. music.. Diane Cluck, Iron and Wine, Explosions in the Sky, Boards of Canada, Elliot Smith, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit, Godspeed, Jeffrey Lewis, Joy Division, Orbital, Sam Amidon, Seabear, Soce the Elemental Wizard, The The, Xiu Xiu. Films.. a passion of mine.. but I don't watch TV..Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I love the huckabees, Being John Malkovich.. most of Charlie Kaufmann's scripts infact.. American Beauty..

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sky dived in St Andrews in Scotland.. awesome! :-)
Travelled across Canada on the train and down to San Fran.

Teach, Learn, Share

Creative people with open minds, I think you can learn something from everyone so all kinds of people.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Peru, South Africa, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom

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