CURRENT MISSION

to get stronger and freer and better at loving every day.

ABOUT ME

I graduated from Pomona college in Claremont, CA in May or 2013, and for the first time in my life I don't have any external institutions guiding my actions. Instead I have the freedom to do what I want with my time. I don't know where I'll end up, but I know that whatever I do, having a community of strangers to share support and shelter with will be a tremendous blessing.

I study feminism, critical race theory, and American, Arabic, and Spanish literature. One of my current objectives is to cultivate a writing discipline, in order to develop confidence as a creative writer and artist. While I write for myself (and hopefully the world), I also nanny, spend time with my family and friends. I also do a good deal of yoga and enjoy walks.

Positivity is a beautiful thing but it is not required. I like to feel however I feel and allow others to do the same.

PHILOSOPHY

This is not personal, as these are not my words, but I think David Foster Wallace says it real nice in his Kenyon address:

"If you're automatically sure that you know what reality is and who and what is really important -- if you want to operate on your default-setting -- then you, like me, will not consider possibilities that aren't pointless and annoying. But if you've really learned how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know you have other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, loud, slow, consumer-hell-type situation as not only meaningful but sacred, on fire with the same force that lit the stars -- compassion, love, the sub-surface unity of all things. Not that that mystical stuff's necessarily true: The only thing that's capital-T True is that you get to decide how you're going to try to see it. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Unfortunately, I am crashing with friends and family for the next several months, so I cannot offer a couch to surfers. I hope to have my own place beginning in January 2014, however, so I should be available to host you soon enough. In the meantime, thank you for your hospitality! It is truly amazing how generous this community is.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've surfed several times with couchsurfing since 2011. Mostly, I've spent a night or two here or there while in transit to another place on a road trip. It has always been an absolute pleasure to meet such kind people, and I am so grateful for their willingness to open their homes to me. People have also opened up their fridges in truly spectacular ways! The food was not expected but it was always spectacular. Handmade meditative chocolates in Arizona!?!?!? Farm-fresh eggs, homemade sopapillas, and salpica in New Mexico!?!?!?!? Unreal.

Interests

Spanish, Arabic, Dreaming, Gender and Women's Studies, Spirituality, Religion, Faith, Swimming, Climbing, Running, Yoga, Hypnotism, Music (all kinds. Favorite artists include; Animal Collective and Erykah Badu), Gardening, Cooking (esp. vegan or vegetarian), the Sea, Mountains, Valleys, Sunrises and Sets, Children, People, Emotional Discharge, Honesty.

• animals
• writing
• literature
• dancing
• womens rights
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• running
• gardening
• music
• rock climbing
• swimming
• religion
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy many different kinds of movies, but I am not someone who fixes onto particular favorites in the long-term. Instead it will be my favorite for a week or two until I see my next favorite. Here are some that I have loved: Daisies, The Network, Micmacs, Full Metal Jacket, some Woody Allen flix, The Marx Brothers, Daisies, Blue is the Warmest Color etc...

My tastes in music are similar to my tastes in movies, equal opportunity: Angel Olsen, Animal Collective, Erykah Badu, Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, White Denim, Nico, Velvet Underground, Buena Vista Social Club, Mississippi John Hurt, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Band, Billie Holiday, Etta James, Joanna Newsome, Cream, The Flaming Lips, Dan Deacon, Ludacris, Freestyle Fellowship, etc...

Books: South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami; anything by Barbara Kingsolver; Bel Canto, by Anne Patchett; anything by John Steinbeck; Willa Cather; Tolstoy; Tolkein; Original Wisdom; The Alchemist; Harry Potter series; formerly a huge teenage science fiction fan... I may have gone through a Vampire phase... I love to read!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Tipsily sneaking into the ruins of Qalat Amman (Castle Amman) on top of the city late at night, getting caught, and then using my meager Arabic skills to talk the guard into giving us a tour.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'll cook you delicious Tex-Mex food. I'll talk to you in English, Spanish and Arabic. I'll do yoga with you. We can certainly dance. And I'm sure we both have a lot to teach just by sharing and a lot to learn just by listening.

Countries I’ve Visited

Greece, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

Jordan, United States

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