CURRENT MISSION

I travel to connect with people all over the world, to see how we are the same and how we are different, to be inspired, to learn, to look, to listen, and to come into the daily experience of gratitude for the amazing people we all share this planet with.

ABOUT ME

I love to laugh, adventure, and connect. I believe that one person can change the world by doing what they really love and having the courage to share it with others. I never travel without a book and a journal. I am on a quest to find the best cannolis in the world and am quite willing to try the best food from every culture along the way. The water calls to me, especially the ocean. I'm torn between the Gold Coast in Australia and Barbados for my favorites. I'm interested in meeting people who are inspired to make a difference in the world, and love to meet artists, adventurers, and creative people of all stripes. Community is very important to me. I've lived in community and participated in social organizations, teams, and dojos that felt like family and took time to reach out into the community to make a difference in some way. I like to volunteer

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in living my life by two quotes:

Be the change you wish to see in the world. -Gandhi

What you risk reveals what you value. -Jeanette Winterson

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to surf and would love to volunteer and be involved with gatherings. (I know we had a picnic this summer at Clark Park in Philly.) I can't host yet, but plan to host as soon as I have a couch to offer!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I spent six weeks travelling for a documentary film from Boston, Mass to San Franciso, CA and only spent one night in a motel. The was part of the Quaker hospitality network but it was so amazing to be taken into people's homes and offered a place to stay, at times, by perfect strangers. I also participated in a national Aikido community where we put visiting people up all the time for seminars and the like or stayed right on the mat or visitors space in some dojos. Outside of athletics, this was my first experience with community and I loved it. Now I surf couches in Philly and wherever I roam. Here's a favorite story...

I was in NYC to see the Indigo Girls in Central Park on my birthday when the rolling blackouts happened. The show went on as scheduled due to a newly filled gas generator. I was solo that day but by the end of the show I had new friends who offered to help me find a place to stay. We crossed Central Park by cell phone light. Walked past people grilling their meat on grills on the sidewalk. NYC turned into a sidewalk party. We eventually took a horse drawn cab to Broadway where the lights were dark! And then we slept in my new friend's office where I watched a mounted policeman gallop down 9th Avenue at midnight. I woke to find businessmen washing in the fountains of Bryant Park and got yummy discounted sushi. My new friends drove me all the way back to my car in Princeton the next day. It was one of my best birthdays ever!

Interests

I love meeting new people, hiking, drinking tea, reading, exploring new places, eating really good food (especially japanese, indian, thai, and mexican, but I'm open!), spending time by the ocean, laughing, talking about film, writing, and the arts. I'm into a lot of different holistic things from essential oils to energy work. I want to travel to all the most beautiful places on earth. I'm fascinated by distinctive architecture.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• architecture
• documentaries
• dining
• picnic
• partying
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• hiking
• surfing
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Regina Spektor, Death Cab for Cutie, Ingrid Michaelson, Brandi Carlisle, The Decemberists, Damien Rice, Indigo Girls, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Radiohead, Ella Fitzgerald just to name a few favs.

Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Truth and Beauty by Ann Pachett; the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan; The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway; anything by Terri Pratchett; The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore; Fun Home by Allison Bechdel; Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi; La Perdida by Jessica Abel; We Are On Our Own by Miriam Katin; Blankets by Craig Thompson

Kissing Jessica Stein; Bound; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog (anything by Joss Whedon); XFiles; Project Runway; The Dog Whisperer; James Bond films (espec with Connery or Brosnan); Cassablanca; the original Star Wars movies, Schindler's List; When Harry Met Sally and many, many more...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've seen the stars at night over the north rim of the Grand Canyon. They were so close I could touch them, so bright I could read. The wind was blowing and I spent the best night of sleep ever in my car. I didn't want to leave. I fell asleep looking at the stars.

This was a part of a 6 weeks cross country road trip I took where I found a place to sleep with friends and strangers alike for all but one night of my trip. It was amazing to travel in this way, and once I saw that it was possible (and that was before I knew about couch surfing!) I never wanted to pay for a hotel again. The feeling of hospitality wherever we went was amazing. It totally changed the way I looked at things from that moment forward.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach:

Writing. Communication skills. Faciltate purpose. Leadership/group facilitation skills. Problem Solving. Conflict Resolution. How to be more intuitive. Energy work.

I want to learn:

More about all of the above. Italian.

I'm open to sharing a lot of different thoughts, ideas, and experiences, and want to meet others from many different places, experiences, and cultures who want to do the same.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Barbados, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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