I am a 57 year old, mother of 5 children, 3 girls and 2 boys, but we lost our youngest son to cancer at the age of 7. I am a physician and I work in a low income clinic in rural Michigan, USA. I have 11 siblings, 7 sisters and 4 brothers. I grew up in a family that loved to travel the entire continental United States, camping our way across the country. I love travel and meeting people from around the world. I want my travel to be an interactive experience and not just a photo shoot. I have studied in Europe and volunteered in various countries in Africa and Central America, and feel that working closely with people from around the world is the most important experience of my life, other than being a mother, wife, and doctor. I have the privilege of making this European trip with my youngest daughter and would love to meet families to share our experience.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I do not like traveling just to see places. I prefer to meet the local people and get a chance to share stories and experiences to learn more about the character of the local area. I am on an adventure with my youngest daughter, and part of that adventure is traveling on a budget, and getting to meet people.

Interests

• dancing
• ballroom dancing
• cooking
• baking
• traveling
• hiking
• calligraphy
• adventure travel
• healthy cooking
• playing tennis
• hiking in the mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite music- jazz, classical, Christian music, and pop.
Favorite movies- Ever After, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter Series, and the King of hearts
Favorite Books- The Color Purple, Harry Potter Series, the Hunger Games series, Reaching Out- by Henri Nouwen

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Raised 5 amazing children
volunteered in an animal refuge in Guatemala
Took our kids on a medical mission to Dominican Republic
white water rafted with my children
Flew in a hot air balloon.
Visited Viet Nam

Teach, Learn, Share

I have traveled extensively in the United States, and have a lovely home in Michigan, the state surrounded on 3 sides by the largest bodies of fresh water in the world. I have a lot of information to share for someone interested in traveling to the US. I am anxious to speak French again, so would love to work on my French or my Spanish. I am anxious to learn the history of the places I visit, as I have never been inspired to learn history until I began to travel outside the US. I am also anxious to learn from people about their national health system, since the US continues to fight an uphill battle to make this happen.

What I Can Share with Hosts

This is a hard question, but I can teach them calligraphy, or cook with them, or share good books. I would love to share a different image of US of America from the image that is portrayed by our government.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Belize, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Ireland, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Spain, Switzerland, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Côte d'Ivoire, France, Ghana