CURRENT MISSION

Travel as an education.
Learn Polish. Develop as a teacher. Keep balanced.

ABOUT ME

I'm inspired by ideas surrounding trust, generosity and togetherness. I like to get to know the places I visit at a deep level. It's the people that make places memorable. I like hitch-hiking and getting stuck in small unknown places. I like naive art, stitching things, good vego food, sometimes dancing. I like keeping it simple, getting offline and into nature. I love hearing people's stories, especially when they challenge me and teach me something new about the world. I like to people-watching, noticing patterns, talking big picture and acting locally.

I'm originally from a small town in country Victoria, Australia. For the last 3 years, Krakow, Poland has been my base, where I'm focusing on learning the language and culture of my partner, Jurek, getting involved in environmental activism and growing as a children's teacher.

Here's our travel blog from our 2014/15 overland journey from Australia to Europe, without flights: http://dropthetension.com/ We hitch-hiked about 15,000km of the way!

PHILOSOPHY

Drop the tension! And always carry a frisbee (they double as great chopping boards!)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Share ideas and a listening ear while I surf in your city/town. Hosting with a cosy couch and good company when I have a base. Home is a very important concept to me, best made with heart and shared.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My favourite surfing experience was with Rita in Larantuka, Flores in Indonesia. We became like family and I can't wait to visit her again!

My favourite hosting experience was with Serena from Hawaii. Serena ended up living in our Fitzroy lounge room for 4 months and is one of my best friends!

Generally, when I travel, I will try to use CS because it's the best way to add meaning to travel. When I'm at home, I'm hosting when I'm able. I'm always up for helping travellers out. I also have a TRUSTROOTS account - I recommend joining this network!

Interests

Making friends, food, and do.

• arts
• folklore
• lgbt rights
• education
• womens rights
• farmers' market
• organic food
• yoga
• meditation
• gardening
• traveling
• dumpster diving
• knitting
• live music
• drums
• hiking
• rock climbing
• ecology
• hitchhiking
• ecotourism
• cinema
• activism
• feminism
• self-development
• vipassana
• vegetarian cooking
• rainbow gathering
• embroidery
• organic farming
• ethnography
• waldorf education
• children education
• activist

Music, Movies, and Books

Music with a message: Fela Kuti! I love seeing live music. I have a folkie heart, but I also love a crazy dance session to something fast and electronic, especially with world music influences.

Films from countries around the world - show me something new and make me think! Salt of the Earth. Life is beautiful. Frida. The piano. Ten Canoes. Charlie's country. Tanna. The gods must be crazy.

The Songlines. The Tall Man. Brave New World. Tuesdays with Morrie. Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Reportage, especially Ryszard Kapuściński.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Being part of the Lentil As Anything family in Abbotsford, Australia. Climbing Mt Kinabalu to watch the sun rise over the South China Sea. Hitch-hiking Townsville-Darwin (2500km) in outback Australia. Visiting the Aboriginal community of Palm Island, Australia. Making it from Melbourne Australia to Katowice Poland without taking a single flight. Joining Oboź dla Puszcza and defending Białowieża Forest, Europe's last primeval forest, from logging. Vipassana meditation.

But the small stuff can be the most amazing of all - especially when it's about people connecting.

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to knit, sew, cook and garden. I'm keen to learn the language of the countries I'm travelling in, I want to learn more about meditation and I hope I can learn to play the drums one day... Yarn bombing is very cool. Hoping to get into dumpster diving; love the idea of guerrilla gardening.

What I Can Share with Hosts

English assistance, meals, conversation, ideas

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Poland, United Kingdom