CURRENT MISSION

My mission is to live on every continent (except Antarctica but even that's negotiable) for at least a year.

ABOUT ME

I left Botswana in 2007 after living there for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer. The experience changed my life in every way imaginable and I returned to Africa to work in Malawi. Now that I've begun to see the world with these new eyes and a much more accepting heart, I know that I want to take in as many cultures as I can in the short amount of time I have on Earth. I am a philisophical and spiritual person but don't believe in confining myself to a specific religion. I am genuinely interested in people's lives because every story is unique and it all adds to the color of this amazing tapestry we exist in. I'm allergic to cats.

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is hard to put in words but I think that there is a purpose for everything. Every impulse or instinct we have is for a reason. Every bus we catch or flight we miss is meant to be. When things happen, bad or good, I believe it's just the nature of the universe. We can't explain it because our sight isn't that wide, our brains can't wrap around it, but it's there and flowing with it makes life that much easier to live.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

As of now I have only ever hosted and have never surfed although I have been the friend that stays on the couch at friends houses many times. I love hosting people and getting to know them. I really open up my home and my heart to people so if I think that someone is using my place just to pass through as a cheap alternative to a hostel, I'll probably decline.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Although it wasn't because of the project, I once allowed 3 English guys who were traveling through Africa to stay at my home only after meeting them on the bus. I have been helped many times by the kindness of strangers and I believe it's my duty to return the favor to others.
So far the experiences I have had hosting others has been amazing. I am pretty much always willing to host because it livens my spirits.

Interests

I love to cook. I'm always looking for new recipes. I paint, read, write, meditate, listen to all sorts of music. I especially like jazz but I will also shake my butt to good dance tunes.

• cats
• coloring
• dancing
• cooking
• recipes
• meditation
• walking
• traveling
• painting
• music
• jazz
• religion
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Indigo Girls, Billy Joel, Scissor Sisters, Nickelback, Van Morrison, Counting Crows, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Mozart, The Beatles, Black Eyed Peas, The Pussycat Dolls, Damian Rice, Regina Spektor, etc.
Movies - The Breakfast Club, The Goonies, Truth About Cats and Dogs, Moulin Rouge, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow, The Mummy, the Mummy Returns, Indiana Jones (all 3), Jurassic Park (all 3), E.T., Office Space, The Planet Earth Series
Books - And The Band Played On..., The Snow Leopard, Any of the Shambhala Classics, Anything by Jane Austen, Many John Grishams, The Phantom of the Opera, Anything by Dickens, Tolkien, or Alexandre Dumas

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Internationally, Americans are usually pointed out to be fast walkers. I'm no exception. One day, while in my village in Botswana, I was walking (quickly) home from the clinic after a trying day and a small child, without saying a word, came up to me, held my hand and walked with me. I had to slow way down to keep from dragging him, but in doing so I was able to appreciate the time so much more. The boy never said a word and he left me at my front gate but I remember him from time to time when I feel like I'm moving too fast.

Teach, Learn, Share

What I've learned is that change is nothing to fear. Going into the unknown is a way to learn about yourself, push yourself, find your limits. I think the more that people experience change, the more accepting of themselves and others they become. The question that I am constantly asking myself is: Is it less painful to remember or to forget?

Countries I’ve Visited

Ethiopia, France, Mozambique, Namibia, Nicaragua, Panama, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Botswana, Costa Rica, Malawi, United States