These are some ideas I keep with me:
-Make every decision acknowledging that it is your own and that you have reasons for it
-Live every moment with wonder, as even the most seemingly repetitive places, people, and moments are part of an astounding universe
-Act with compassion as life is as brutal with all living things as it is wondrous

This September, I am going to return to Spain to participate in the language teaching assistant program, Auxiliares de Conversacion. I will be teaching at a high school in Ferrol, Galicia. I previously taught English and art to elementary school kids (mostly tutoring and complementing their inventive drawings!) in Alicante, Valencia. Most recently, I have been traveling the western U.S. to visit friends/family and reconnect with its vast wilderness!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I find that traveling without connecting directly with the people in communities I am visiting is not half as interesting nor half as informative as visiting in the company of people who know, live in, and love the area I am visiting. I appreciate the goodwill and trust involved both in people sharing their living spaces and people entering those spaces as respectful, curious guests. Additionally, it is an economically viable way to be far from home.

Interests

I spend a large portion of my life cooking and considering food. Baking, cooking, harvesting garden crops, visiting markets, collecting wild fruits and mushrooms, then making delicious dishes with them, this is all an important part of my life!

I'm a born treasure hunter! Some of my favorite forms include beach-combing, gold panning, thrift store shopping, and snorkeling to find hidden worlds and creatures. One of my favorite things to do in a new country is to explore their grocery stores and try to learn about what people cook and eat there.

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: The World According to Garp by John Irving, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, and Swimmy by Leo Lionni

Films: I've a special interest in animated films. Song of the Sea, The Yellow Submarine, Grave of the Fireflies, all of Miyazaki's animated films

Music: Modest Mouse, R.E.M., Pink Floyd, Tracy Chapman, Fleet Foxes, Zero 7, Air, Tears for Fears, Suzanne Teng

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have experimented with using signs and public art to go on dates! More on this when we meet c:

Teach, Learn, Share

To teach:
-techniques in visual art and its strange intermedia offshoots
-cooking! I know a lot of recipes at this point
-wildlife biology and ecology
-English language

I am a generally curious person and want to know more about whatever fascinates you.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have many years of cooking and baking experience and it would be my great pleasure to cook for you or offer my help with your cooking.

I have experience with teaching both art and English and would enjoy helping learn either.

I am also somewhat experienced with organic gardening and would love to lend a hand. Not with poison oak though, I don't abide the stuff any longer!

Countries I’ve Visited

Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United States