CURRENT MISSION

Realizing that maybe I don't need to prove that much to the world all the time.

ABOUT ME

I'm a girl. By some accident of life I live in Barranquilla, and I am learning a lot. I grew up mostly in the US but I'm originally from Finland. I grew up with a lot of other people who were partially from somewhere else. When I was a little bit younger, I felt that I didn't know how "to be" in a world where you were supposed to be "from one place," when in reality I was from at least two places. Now I am comfortable in between. Instead of thinking that who "my people" are has anything to do with passport or address, I guess I think it's a matter of a damn good sense of humor, open mindedness, and not thinking we know everything.

Es el mestizaje del alma.

PHILOSOPHY

I'm not dogmatic, but spiritual in a very practical sense. It sort of follows this equation: If you do something, and it makes you feel agitated, unfocused, bad, a bit empty or selfish, then it was probably "not so good." If you do something, and it makes you feel compassion, then it was probably "pretty good." And if you develop compassion, then you'll want to do/be more, "pretty good" kind of things. In theory, if this formula is applied, you should be able to develop a veritable back-stock of compassion.

Disclaimer: I suffer from totally normal levels of compassion and you should not expect to find a back-stock of it around here (though hopefully not a lack of it either!). Ha! After all, to theorize is human, to practice is divine.

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back!

This too shall pass.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have hosted more than I've surfed. All have been good experiences.

Surfed in Tucson, AZ, and Chicago, IL, both for a few night each. Both were very good experiences, and I would recommend my hosts to others.
In Chile: I essentially couchsurfed (but without this website) for a month with a family I got to know there. They are wonderful people and we still keep in touch.

I've also unofficially couchsurfed with aquaintances in New York and newly found distant relatives in San Francisco.

We've hosted folks from Canadian cyclists to Brazilian chess players and a Chilean reporter, to name a few.

Interests

Dancing: Salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia, norteña, banda, arabic.

Languages.

• cats
• dancing
• bachata
• cumbia
• chess
• journalism
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: An Unexpected Light, Awakening to Zen,

Music: I like Arabic music, a lot of different kinds. I like Rai, pop, and old oud music. For dancing I like cumbia, salsa, bachata, merengue, norteña. Even though I'm from Finland I don't know anything about metal.

Movies: Paper Moon, West Beirut, Picassos Aventyr, Machuca

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My students are amazing (I teach English as a Second Language). They have really incredible stories. Some have come as refugees or are undocumented and separated from their families for years. They do so much with so little, and still manage to crack jokes and enjoy life.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Chile, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, United States