CURRENT MISSION

Dedication to life's purpose and making sure stay on top of it (and making sure I enjoy the journey because the final destination is not the only thing that matters.

ABOUT ME

I'm passionate but pretty laid back usually. I have not yet had the chance to officially couchsurf but I did something very similar in Peru back in 2010.

I love traveling and I love meeting new people. Especially if we can share stories and learn from one another.

I have really loved my time living abroad (especially Korea for 2 years). Some of my favorite activities have been hiking, climbing mountains, walking around, exploring, traveling, photography.

I am a teacher (among other things) and have taught around the world in places like San Francisco, Peru, Kenya, and Korea.

I also come from the arts and have been involved with theater and film for a long time, though unfortunately not too much recently.

I love Film! From all over the world. That is actually what made me so interested in Korea. I started watching Korean films about 10 years ago and that is what got me so interested in coming to Korea. I had seen over 100 by the time I arrived there and have seen plenty more since. I am pretty familiar with film from all over the world.

I also love volunteer work and documentary filmmaking. I made a short documentary focusing on public housing in San Francisco's Chinatown.

I love cooking vegetarian food :)
Yeah, I am vegetarian so I essentially do all of my own cooking here. So of course I would be thrilled to help out with some fine veggie cuisine :)

Unfortunately my place is WAY too small to host right now.

Of course feel free to ask me anything or get into contact with me for any more info.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe that those personal encounters where somebody listens to you or shares their time with you is priceless. Great if that is shared amongst both parties.

I have learned a lot from all of the traveling and work that I have done. So I guess helping others to learn these things is very important. Just try my part to make the world better.

I think that wandering does not mean that somebody is lost.

Enjoy taking the wrong turns in life sometimes. Grow from mistakes. Try to stay positive.

DREAM TRIPS:
Hong Kong, Beirut, Morocco, Haiti

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have not yet officially Couchsurfed. I want to Couchsurf to really connect with other people. Since I only have a little bit more time here, I hope that experiencing couch surfing will add to my great memories of wherever I am.

Pretty much just looking to connect with people and have a positive experiences.

Okay so you always hear how travel broadens the mind, and I tend to agree with that, but when I travel I sometimes come across a few individuals who just want to brag or make it out like they are better than you because they have traveled more. So I like that couchsurfing would likely NOT include that mentality. Travel is not about competition or trying to be superior to another person. So I think really connecting with another person, whether host or guest, is a much more authentic experience.

Not looking for romance.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

none yet officially. I did something similar in the Peruvian jungle a few years ago. I have also lived with host families in Kenya and other parts of Peru. Those have been some of the warmest people I have ever met.

Back in high school I also hosted several foreign exchange students from countries like Japan, Argentina, and Germany.

I have also participated in a few couchsurfing events/meetups.

I cannot host at this time

Interests

I love art and helping others. I come from a theater and film background as well as education and mentoring youth.
In Korea I really love going on walks and climbing mountains (I guess that would usually just be "hiking" mountains).
A lot of my work involved social justice and working with people in less fortunate circumstances.

• arts
• theater
• photography
• documentaries
• film making
• education
• cooking
• vegetarian
• walking
• movies
• traveling
• volunteer work
• socializing
• hiking
• teaching
• volunteering
• solo travel
• budget travel
• mountains
• travel
• filmmaking
• nature
• watching movies
• storytelling
• africa
• film
• stories
• conversation
• california
• deep conversations
• south america
• educación
• peru
• natural medicine
• korea

Music, Movies, and Books

Pretty eclectic. I like stuff from all over the world and in many different languages. I'd say my favorite musician is Fela Kuti. I typically watch movies from all over the world.

I prefer dramas to action (but it was probably those Jackie Chan movies as a kid that got me into foreign film).

I try to read a mix of things. Memoir, fiction, journalism, sociology (when related to a subject interesting to me), criminology, stories than take place in other cultures (whether fiction or nonfiction).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Yeah...

I have plenty of travel stories to share.

Sometimes they can even be like questions, such as: why did my bus drive through fire in Tanzania?

Storytelling is sacred for me. I love telling stories. I love listening to stories. Let's share some stories.

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to do all three of those.

I would much rather have a meaningful conversation than just be around people getting drunk and not really communicating. That would not really teach me very much and I would not feel like I was teaching or sharing anything either.

I think you can get "high" just being in touch with yourself and surroundings

What I Can Share with Hosts

Too hard to list. I guarantee you positive energy and human connection. I love telling stories and hearing stories too. I can share some veggie food if you are interested.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Colombia, El Salvador, France, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Spain, Tanzania

Countries I’ve Lived In

Peru, South Korea, United States