CURRENT MISSION

Life is a joy, exactly as it is... Let's celebrate it

ABOUT ME

Lucky me! I have lived a life filled with a wide range of experiences, both personal and professional. It has been very rich in contrasts: from high-tech entrepreneur to poet, from spiritual book writer to teacher of various arts, from home and office organizer to hospice caregiver, and lots more in between.

I was born in Angola, Africa, in 1955 and spent my first 6 years on a coffee and tobacco plantation in the middle of the African nowhere. After that I was raised in Germany by German parents and was a high school exchange student for a year in Iowa.

I studied English literature and American history at the University of Freiburg in Germany, and received an MA in American Literature from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

In Germany, I lived in Berlin for 10 years before the Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989. A year later I moved to the island of Maui in Hawaii, interestingly when Berlin was not an island anymore... I then spent 12 years raising my kids in the Bay Area, moved to Ashland, Oregon for 7 years and have spent the last 2 years living in both Germany and Mexico.

PHILOSOPHY

I live my life as a spiritual being in a human body exploring the full range of experiences possible between those two expressions.

I love life as a human being.

I love living in these changing times, these challenging times,and I celebrate people feeling empowered thru the various populist movements world wide.

I am doing my best to see the glass, any glass, as half full rather than half empty.

I feel blessed.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I grew up in a family, where having other family members and friends come visit and stay at the drop of a hat was a normal occurrence.

I have offered a number of couches and used a number of couches over the years.

What a great way to see a town, a country, the world: through the eyes of real people, and not just a sterile hotel resort.

Interests

Cutting edge new thought, concepts, ideas, and experiences on both sides of the political spectrum, hiking in nature particularly on the ocean, along lakes or rivers, celebratinging people feel empowered thru populist movements, anti globalist,

• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• dancing
• technology
• blogging
• knitting
• hiking
• teaching
• entrepreneurship
• history
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: chanting (Deva Premal, Dave Stringer, Snatam Kaur), singer/song writer music, dubstep
Movies: LOTR, Gladiator, Jane Austen, As time goes by, Firelight
Books: Ellis Peters, Terry Pratchett, Ursula K. LeGuin, Anne MaCaffrey, Christopher Paolini

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have given birth to and raised 2 wonderful beings, who are by now grown up, and have children of their own.

Teach, Learn, Share

Writing poetry ::
Doing mandalas using colored pencils ::
Freestyle dancing and movement ::
Beach art with flotsam ::
Knitting continental style ::
Journal writing ::
Creating a Wordpress blog ::
Enthusiasm about populist empowerment
and much more...

What I Can Share with Hosts

Listening to their life stories and perspectives

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Mozambique, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tunisia

Countries I’ve Lived In

Angola, Germany, Mexico, United States

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