ABOUT ME
I grew up for five years in Ithaca, NY with my family as my father was pursuing his PhD. When he finished, we all moved back to Israel. For this reason, I sound as though I'm American despite living in the middle East my whole life.
I did my B.A. in English Literature and Education. While doing so, I volunteered at a mental institution which helped me find my passion - expressive arts therapy. I believe that some people have difficulty expressing themselves verbally. By using arts, drama, music- people who can't express themselves verbally, can do so in different ways. It's a magical type of therapy and I decided that that is what I wanted to continue studying.
During my B.A., I studied a semester in Brno, Czech Republic which was a life changing experience.
As I was applying for universities in the U.S., I taught English at two high school to at-risk-youth, which opened my eyes to the social justice system in Israel. At this time, I also received a teaching certificate from Ben Gurion University.
Happy to say, I received a Fulbright scholarship to study in the U.S.A., and was accepted to study drama therapy at California Institute of Integral Studies, where I'm currently at.
During my stay in the U.S. (From August 2015), I've volunteered at StageWright, which provides drama lessons to children on the Autistic spectrum. I've also interned at San Quentin State Prison, where we put on the MacBeth play with inmates, providing drama therapy as well. At the moment, I'm interning at an elementary school in San Francisco as a drama therapist.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I studied abroad for the first time in Brno, I found my love for traveling and meeting new people. It was my first time traveling alone and it was a magnificent experience, where I was able to meet very different people, from different places with different views on life. In addition, I was able to see incredible views that looked surreal and was able to try and connect to different cultures.
Why an I couchsurfing? I'm not going to lie, it helps as a graduate students who cannot afford to stay in a hotel. But also, and mainly, I hope to gain this while I'm traveling and exploring new places. To have an actual person from the city I'm visiting and hear (if they want) their life experience, their thoughts of the city. I believe I've had a lot of amazing experiences, from my own culture and from my adventures and love to share them as well (if they're wanted to be heard).

Interests

My interests include:
* writing. Once I'm free to write, I love to write fiction, poetry or my thought on political issues in the world.
* discussing world events - I believe it's very important to stay connected to what's happening in the world. I believe we are all connected, and that an event that will happen to one of us, will effect another eventually.
* traveling - for me, it's one of the beauties of being alive. The opportunity to see breathtaking places, learning the history of the place, hearing stories that accompany a place is one of my main joys of life.
* meeting new people - I'm an extravert and love meeting new people. I believe that every person is so unique and has the possibility of teaching us so much about life, the world and ourselves.
* reading - I'm a literature major. I love stories and I love to be sucked into them and entering another world.
* Music, theatre - similarly to reading, they have the option to remove me temporarily from reality and into another world in which everything is possible and hope is available.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• literature
• poetry
• beauty
• education
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• teaching
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I'm a fan of different genres, it depends on my mood. I at times, love country music (Blake Shelton fan) and at times I'm very much into folk rock (the Lumineers), rock mood (Mumford and Sons) and sometimes pop and at times some soul music. When I'm tense, I enjoy to listen to some classic instrumental music.

Books: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, The Kite Runner, Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Taming of a Shrew

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I can't choose a specific amazing thing. If I can choose the best thing ever, it would be traveling with my friends. I am so privileged to have met extraordinary people who have taught me a lot about universality and the beauty of wanderlust. I have so many positive memories that I get to keep and give me the motivation to keep traveling and meeting people.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share stories from my culture (I'm Palestinian Bedouin) and share some Palestinian dishes and music.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Jordan, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic, Israel, United States