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Oakland, California, United States
@NAMANA415
Member since 2006
CURRENT MISSION To see a piece of myself in each person I meet... ABOUT ME I'm an introvert... I love people and value one on one interactions with people. I get my energy by chilling out: journaling, being immersed in nature, making a pot of herbal tea and chatting with you. This type of recharging recharging gives me the energy to venture out on adventures.
Interested in Art
Fluent in Chinese (Simplified)
Learning German
3 Vouches
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING Spread the word about Couch Surfing. COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE CS has done wonders for me in Germany. My first was most memorable...I stayed in Cologne and my lovely host was the CS chapter leader and by sheer coincidence, a reporter from a German public radio show interviewed us for a segment on the CS phenomenom! That sealed my confidence in Couch Surfing especially hearing a German voice-over on my voice:-)
Music, Movies, and Books
Just finished reading 'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman and 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd I love'em both. I enjoy Miazaki Films like "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Princess Mononoke" a Hong Kong film called "Chung King Express" by Wong Kar- Wei, oh and "Garden State". I'm a folk music junky: Wailin' Jenny's, Be Good Tonyas, Hot Buttered Rum, Gillian Welch.
One Amazing Thing I've Done
I'm a returned Peace Corps volunteer with a rich experience in Madagascar. I worked as an agro-forestry volunteer I successfully farmed an acre of rice. Rice is life. For me, connecting with ancestral activities was an extremely potent experience. Siting the super shy and nocturnal Aye-Aye lemur on Nosy Manga Be island in Madagascar- it taught me patience DANG-IT!
Teach, Learn, Share
I can teach the fundamentals of wing chun kung fu (永春). Wing Chun is southern Chinese style of martial arts that according to legend was founded by a woman Buddhist nun who taught another female lay person named Wing Chun- the name means 'eternal spring'. This martial arts style is intriguing because you learn how to overtake someone stronger than you by using your body's geometry and angles.
My Interests
Mountainieering, taking walks, women's health, cooking, partner dancing, Wing Chun Kung Fu, camping, and laughing.
