All of this needs some revision :) I've lived back in California since fall of 2015 after 10 years based in Michigan (and sometimes Hungary) for graduate study, and have been doing social work practice until now, but am returning this summer to active work on my PhD research, including some language study and travel in Hungary.
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CURRENT MISSION

Deep, engaged anthropological practice

ABOUT ME

I'm a doctoral student from the United States. I am currently writing up my dissertation based on a year and a half of ethnographic field research in Hungary on the relationship between Roma/Gypsies and contemporary Hungarian institutions.

I'm passionate about human rights and civil liberties for all, including for women, GLBTQI individuals, and other persons of all ages, religions, nations, racial and ethnic groups, abilities, and sizes.

In my leisure time I love singing and salsa dancing. I also play a little guitar and piano, though I'm out of practice. And I love traveling, though now it's mostly for professional related purposes that I do it, since my free time is very limited as a doctoral student.

PHILOSOPHY

Live and let live. And celebrate life as much as possible. Find joy in the moment. Live simply. Strive for understanding and compassion. Respect others, even when you don't understand them. Listen. Cultivate patience.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I hosted a little bit when I lived in Hungary, and couchsurfed a tiny bit there. Mostly connected with couchsurfing folks for social gatherings when I was in Hungary. I've had some wonderfully positive experiences with the people I've been in contact with here.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My very first Couchsurfer I hosted was a native Hungarian whom I hosted in 'my' city as a foreigner living in Pecs. It was very fun and interesting being able to teach one another new things about the place.

Interests

cooking (and eating) whole foods (I follow GAPS)
home fermenting and culturing
holistic health
music
Latin dance
cycling
hiking
exploring cities
travel
cultural exchange
meditation
garage sale-ing
guerilla gardening
. . .
dancing about architecture

• animals
• dogs
• writing
• books
• singing
• architecture
• concerts
• dancing
• salsa dancing
• human rights
• cooking
• meditation
• gardening
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• piano
• cycling
• hiking
• boxing
• languages
• mathematics
• religion
• social work

Music, Movies, and Books

Arundhati Roy - The God of Small Things - probably my favorite book of all time, if I really have to choose.

Adrienne Rich, Robert Hass, Walt Whitman...

Nearly all kinds of music.. love jazz, folk, bossa nova, salsa, enjoy classical, pop, hip hop

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveling in northern India for two and a half months in 1999, living in a Tibetan Buddhist school for Himalayan women, teaching English and Math to 42 Tibetan Buddhist nuns.

And also:

Busking in Paris.

Lying on my belly on the grass, looking straight down the Cliffs of Moher.

Singing in a children's choir on tour in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China in 1987.

Riding the 2000 dot-com wave in San Francisco before the crash.

Living through the 1991 Oakland Firestorm. And the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Adopting, raising, and importing a bilingual Hungarian street dog.

Hearing Nina Simone live in concert in Oakland.

Meeting Allen Ginsberg. And His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Browsing books on the street in Santa Cruz next to Adrienne Rich.

Successfully transporting a giant pink box of Hungarian pastries from Budapest to Casablanca. The border guard's response was hilarious.

Skinnydipping in the Pacific Ocean with a dozen or so of my fellow music students from university.

(Life is really just so absurdly full of gifts.)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can help you learn:

basic salsa dance steps
beginning guitar chords
gardening principles
cooking techniques
writing fundamentals
English and other languages
how to clean without toxic chemicals

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm an excellent cook and a dynamic conversationalist with far-reaching and eclectic knowledge. I'm friendly, warm, and kind. I love people, including children and elders, and most animals also.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hungary, India, United States