HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING I have been CSing since 2005, staying at people's places all over the world A LOT. When I was more 'settled' in places like Kathmandu (Nepal) and in Austin (USA), I hosted a bunch too. Have met great people and made some lifelong friends through CS. COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE In villages in Nepal (no couches!!) In mountains homes in India Taken in by families in Morocco Everywhere I have been in Europe Through homes of Mexico West Coast of the US most of it before I knew there was a site to do it formally! Also, I use it all the time to ask people questions, connect with people all over, find travel partners, share info, and so on. It's been really amazing for that.

too much to start- BOOKS: Kerouac's The Dharma Bums and all his books really; Haruki Murakami; Wade Davis's Light at the Edge of the World; Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond; The Razor's Edge by Maugham; Ishmael by Daniel Quinn; Siddhartha by Hesse; The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns by Hosseini; Life of Pi; A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius & What is the What by Dave Eggers; The Perks of Being a Wallflower; The Space Between Us; Catcher in the Rye; Original Wisdom: Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing by Robert Wolff; A Language Older Than Words by Derrick Jensen; The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra; Barbara Kingsolver; The Bell Jar by Plath, ee cummings, Dylan Thomas, and the list goes on, and on, and on. Media/Journalism/Web/Activism: Edward Murrow, P. Sainath, ADBUSTERS, Vice magazine, Al Jazeera, BBC radio, Al Jazeera, The Daily Show, Story of Stuff, Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy music: Ani Difranco, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Utah Philips, Pearl Jam, Joni Mitchell, Beatles, Bob Dylan, RATM, Dan Bern, The Breeders, Mazzy Star, Regina Spektor, Tori Amos, Raina Rose, punk, ska, blues, folk, rock, rap, bluegrass, spoken word and all kinds of random stuff as long as it makes me think, feel, or dance. (Though I admit I have a soft spot for acoustic guitar). What I love most of all maybe is the unnamed, unpackaged music that is made in a moment, and in that moment only...whether it was jams at Kerrville Folk Festival or street musicians or in villages where music is by the people, for the people... MOVIES (many are docs): Baraka, Examined Life, Born into Brothels, Powaqquatsi, The Root of All Evil, Persepolis, Bridge Over the Wadi, Paper Moon, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Spirited Away, Garden State, Daughter from Danang, Himalaya, Foxfire, Beautiful Losers, Travelers and Magicians, Up the Yangtze, Amelie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Brother's Keeper, Fairytale of Kathmandu, Garbage Dreams, Last Train Home, Taqwacore, There Once Was an Island, etc. this is a choppy list...