CURRENT MISSION

To live a balanced life

ABOUT ME

I am a little shy about describing myself. I don’t like making small talk, and I don’t have much patience with superficial conversations (or with shallow, materialistic people). I think perhaps I am often more comfortable with animals (particularly dogs) than with people --- I don’t have to explain myself, they just know me from being around me. And animals don’t waste their energy trying to impress you or figure out your social status.

At the moment the animals that share my life (and half the space in the living room) are 5 canaries.

PHILOSOPHY

I try to appreciate my life as a sacred gift. That gift comes with obligations --- to recognize that I am part of an enormous universe/energy, to treat others with respect, and to act with compassion. I can’t change the world, but perhaps I can contribute in a positive way. I try to avoid negative energy that might debilitate me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I haven’t been able to do much yet, but I am definitely interested in meeting other CouchSurfers, both as a host and as a guest.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I only recently learned about CouchSurfing, and I haven’t yet “officially” participated as a CouchSurfing host or guest. Periodically I have hosted people in my apartment in Buenos Aires, but we did not meet through CouchSurfing.

Interests

Different cultures interest me, particularly as expressed through literature, the arts, and religion.

• animals
• dogs
• arts
• culture
• literature
• reading
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

I like dramas and classic films, perhaps suspense (but not terror films) --- examples are “Ordinary People,” “The Dresser,” “The Falcon and the Snowman,” “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Milk,” etc. I also like non-violent animated films (eg, the original Japanese animation of “The Hobbit”) and some comedies, such as “The Devil Wore Prada.”

I like most types of music, except heavy metal. I listen to classical music to relax.

William Faulkner is one of my favorite authors (“Absalom, Absalom” is brilliant). Recently I have mostly been reading short stories instead of novels --- John Steinbeck, Edna Ferber, John Cheever, Katherine Mansfield, Philip Roth, etc.

Argentine favorites: “El Abrazo Partido”, Astor Piazzolla, the short stories of Manuel Mujica Láinez (particularly “El hombrecito del azulejo”). I like the short stories of German Rozenmacher, but some of them leave me feeling very depressed!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Immediately after graduating from college, I worked for a year as a fieldworker for a dialect research project. I travelled alone throughout the southeastern United States and conducted tape-recorded interviews with people who had spent their whole lives in their (usually rural) communities. It was fascinating!

Teach, Learn, Share

Over a year ago I organized a bilingual reading group in Buenos Aires, focusing on cultural topics. I’m the moderator of the group. Every week we discuss an English-language short story and a Spanish-language short story, which I e-mail to the participants a few days before we meet. I am always surprised and fascinated by the cultural differences that emerge in the participants’ interpretations of the stories, their reactions to the characters, and their insights. Our meetings always leave me with something to think about, and I have learned a lot about myself and my own culture from the exchanges.

Countries I’ve Visited

Japan, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Spain, United Kingdom

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