CURRENT MISSION

Enjoy life & learn from others, share what I can, be my best self

ABOUT ME

Well this is all in transition right now. I'm moving to French Guiana in 3 weeks. In the mean time, my boyfriend Thomas might contact you through this address as he is already in Guyane (and he's a mighty fine fellow at that!)

I've been bouncing around the globe off and on for more than a decade now. I love it, but am getting closer to wanting to someday have a couch of my own to host others. I'm an English as a Second Language teacher in the States for immigrant middle school students. I love my job and I love working with people with stories both similar and different from my own. I'm in the process of moving from the east coast to the west coast - and enjoying every stop along the way.

PHILOSOPHY

Strive to be happy. Make the world a better place. Live with gratitude for each day.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been kind of lurking here for a bit, but now that I'm driving cross-country, I figured it's high time I get out there and use this thingamajig.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Well, I haven't had any official couchsurfing experience through this website yet, but when I was an undergrad (probably about 1996), my friend Rozena and I met this great couple in an empty Italian restaurant on the lower east side of NYC - we ended up talking the night away with them and eventually surfing on their couch. From him, I first learned of the Naropa Institute and from her, I learned some Haitian Creole.

Interests

Some of my favorite things
* I love to dance (salsa, tango, contra, swing, lindy, waltz, polka, fox trot... nah, j/k about the last couple)
* talking politics
* eating food that is delicious, creative and elegant, or not;
* climbing high mountains, sleeping outdoors, swimming in rivers
* making kids and adults and myself think about "hard stuff" like injustice, oppression and power
* having zany adventures involving strangers
* bicycling places (especially far away places)

• dancing
• tango
• waltz
• polka
• dining
• politics
• outdoor activities
• surfing
• rock climbing
• swimming
• teaching
• rivers
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Films I've loved: Say Anything, Amelie, Hotel Rwanda, The Usual Suspects, Nueve Reinas, Cidade de Deus, 50 First Dates, Napoleon Dynamite, Billy Elliot, Rampo, God Grew Tired of Us.

Music: I listen to the radio most often though my i-tunes has a lot of Latin music, Putumayo world music collections, and whatever kind of music category you would put Calexico and Iron and Wine in.

Books: I've been reading a lot lately. I'm in the middle Hard Times (Studs Terkel) right now and am loving it - an oral history of the Great Depression - so timely! Ursula K. LeGuin's work holds a special place in my heart. Generally. I prefer somewhat political non-fiction or books with story-lines set in the countries where my students come from. Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson)is an excellent book worth everyone's time.

TV: I don't own a TV but watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report online any chance I can get. Other faves - Scrubs, Arrested Development, Dancing with the Stars (though I don't think I've actually ever seen it, I just like the sound of it).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was in university, I worked during the summers on a helicopter forest-fire fighting crew on a national forest in Montana.

Teach, Learn, Share

If you're not from a place that has a steady supply of mangoes, pack these directions away for your next trip to the tropics.

How to cut a mango: Turn the fruit on its end and slice vertically down a little to the left and the right of the center of the fruit. The oblong, leftover center is the seed. Take one of the halves in the palm of your hand and cut a grid pattern into the fruit. Be careful not to slice through the skin (of the mango or your hand!). Now, turn the skin inside out to reveal perfect little cubes for munching. You can also cut the skin off of the center and nibble on the pit, though keep some floss handy!

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Guatemala, Japan, United States