Wants to Meet Up
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Overview
About Me
CURRENT MISSION
I enjoy meeting interesting people in beautiful places.
I arrived in South Carolina March 2020. Surfed with Paul + Erika in Columbia, SC 10 June; Sunny in Birmingham, Alabama, then Dempsey and Jeanne in Little Rock Arkansas in June. Couchsurfed with Juan in Farmers Branch, Texas 16 June,Joseph in Austin, Texas 17-18 June. Canyon Lake, Texas 21-22 June. Pet sit in Sacramento 1-8 July 🐈🐕 December 2020. Pet sit in Seneca, South Carolina. Aiken, SC 15-25 January 2021. House sit in Florida 27 February - 1 April. Pet sit 5-9 April in Seneca, South Carolina. Dog sit 16-24 April in Big Canoe, Georgia. Pet sit in Reynoldstown, Georgia 25 April -1 May. Dog sit in Beaufort, South Carolina 5-12 May. Dog sit in Hilton Head for a week. House sit 6 months in Poinciana, Florida, USA through 15 November 2021. Two week dog sit over Thanksgiving in The Villages, Florida. Pet sits in DeLand and Sun City Center, Florida through January. Part of winter with family in South Carolina. Northern California April-October 2022. Napa until mid-September. Vallejo, Hercules, and Mill Valley in October 2022. Pet sit in Ocean Park, Washington: October 28, 2022 - March 31, 2023. Northern California: Petaluma, Napa, Richmond. Livermore, El Cerrito, Benicia, Berkeley, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Crockett, Walnut Creek, oakland, Alamo, Vallejo, California. Hawaii 19 December - 16 January 2024. Southern California trips:Tehachapi, Anaheim, Encinitas, Aliso Viejo, Santa Ana, Thousand Oaks, California. Medford, Oregon. Maui March 2024. Oregon in May 2024. Washington June-16 July. California in July.
ABOUT ME
Some of you know me as Cheri, while others call me Bella.
I'm a very talkative morning person who volunteers, is a life-long learner, enjoys animals, board games, Pickelball, and plants. Let's meet for a chat over coffee/tea!
I'm curious about most things in life and tend to get very excited/intense. You'll find me to be resourceful, direct, and honest. I'm a non-smoker who enjoys good food prepared at home.
I am curious and love adventure.
'Am adaptable, competitive, and a problem-solver.
'Can be highly independent but enjoy people. I seek meaningful conversations.
PHILOSOPHY
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. -Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews, xiii.1
‘A‘ohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okahi = All knowledge is not taught in the same school, One learns from many sources. - ‘Ōlelo No‘eau #203, Mary Kawena Puku‘i
"Better alone than with bad company." - Thomas Fuller
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision...
for tomorrow. - Melody Beattie
Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.- Benjamin Franklin
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. - Dr. Seuss
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow - mindedness." - Mark Twain
"Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you."
Why I’m on Couchsurfing
HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
It is my pleasure to meet people for cultural events, walks, Pickelball, board games, meals, and sightseeing.
'Am happy to pet/house sit for fellow CouchSurfers.
COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
'Enjoyed my 1st experience CSing in Slovenia with Daniel and his majestic dog Duke. Mahalo to Big Island hosts: Brent Norris, Dan,Victoria Bliss, Trent and Erin Horttor. Thanks to Tampa host Seb. Mahalo nui loa to Tim on Maui. Thank you John Bohling on Kauai. Enjoyed your company Violet in Florida and Vienna. Sven and Eva are greatly appreciated hosts in Stockholm. Tak Matti. Danke Munich CSers Christian and Laurent on Pariser Str. Cheers Barbara and Alan in New Plymouth, Mike Clist in Auckland and Mike Dickison in Christchurch.Thanks to CS hosts in England: Malc & Jen, Pat Kingsbury, James Hill, Aline; Edgar, Glen and Lyndsey and Waldi Rybinski. Much appreciated Norwegian hosts Line and Rasmus. Grazie Lorella for allowing me to cat sit your loved ones in Italy. Grazie Denis and Giuseppe in Italy. Cheers Wendy in Cronulla, Australia. It has been a pleasure to dog sit in Calgary for Cherie and Kent. Loved staying with 1st Brian then Judi in Sarasota, Florida 2016.
Thanks Mike in Queenstown, New Zealand 2017. Mahalo Mike on Oahu 2017. You are a great Clearwater host Sue. Thanks Ken. The list goes on.
Hosted: Swede Matti in NZ then Kiwi Mike Clist and Norwegian Rasmus in Norway. Loved hosting Theo for a week on Oahu...
Interests
Enjoy animals, easy hikes, cliff jumping, studying, teaching, museums, outdoors, movies (no horror), "talking story", art, walking, Pickelball and volunteering most everywhere. I enjoy cooking and gardening with others. Pet sitting is a great joy.
- cooking
- yoga
- gardening
- movies
- board games
- snorkeling
- cliff jumping
- teaching
- volunteering
- tours
- storytelling
- learning
- talking
- gardens
- ted talks
- making art
- lectures
- pet sitting
- npr
Music, Movies, and Books
Really enjoy spending time with a good book. Trilogies are great. Magazines will do in a pinch. Am a sci-fi / fantasy fan. Appreciate 3-D movies. Great to find interesting foreign films but blockbusters are my favorite. I've watched and/or read: Morbius, The Man That Fell to Earth, Dresden Files,
Doom Patrol, Dr. Who,
The Seeker: Darkness Rising, What We Do in the Shadows, Never Have I Ever,
The Last Kingdom, Manifest, The White Lotus, Kim's Convenience, Loki, Freelancers, Luca, Shadow and Bone, The Nevers, The Irregulars, The Watch, The Falcon and Winter Soldier, The Warrior, Thunder Force, Tenet, Warrior, Cobra Kai, Resident Alien, Queen's Gambit, Pitch Meeting, Norsemen, Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, Shazam!, The Good Place, Always, Jojo Rabbit, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, Alita: Battle Angel, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Ford vs Ferrari, Rocketman, Doctor Sleep , John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Aladdin, The Upside , Harriet, Always be my Maybe, Dark Crystal, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, Spider-man: Far From Home, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, A Quiet Place, I Tonya, Venom, Instant Family, A Star is Born, Oceans 8, Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Rich Asians, Mile 22, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Avengers: Infinity War, Mamma Mia!Here We Go Again, Deadpool 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Tag, Ready Player One, Black Panther, Incredibles 2, Overboard, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Red Sparrow, Isle of Dogs, I Feel Pretty, Ocean's Eight, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, A Wrinkle in Time, Sherlock Gnomes,
Ender's Game, The Help, The Reader, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Dragonlance: Chronicles, Magician (The Riftwar Saga),The Elfstones of Shannara (The Original Shannara Trilogy), The Golden Compass, Wizard's First Rule, The Notebook, Tuesdays with Morrie...
Baby Driver, Inside Out, Bridge of Spies, Big Hero 6, Maleficent, Elisyium, The Croods, The Wolf of Wallstreet, Django Unchained, Silver Linings, Rango, Princess Bride, Bee Movie, Beowulf, Wall-E, Momento, Dark City, 3:10 to Yuma, Ratatouille, The Gunslinger, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, ET, Tombstone, When Harry Met Sally, Thor, Planet of the Apes, The 5th Element, Tron, Inception, Water for Elephants, The Martian, Terminator, Kubo, Hidden Figues,Kung Fu Panda, Wonder Woman,Get Out, American Made, War Dogs, Guardians of the Galaxy, Noah, Robocop, We're the Millers. Kick Ass, The Lorax, Rise of the Guardians, Men in Black, Brave, Rango, X-Men, The Kids Are Alright, Little Miss Sunshine, Shrek, Toy Story, The King's Speech, How to Train Your Dragon, Coraline, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, District 9, Avatar, Gran Torino, Blood Diamond, Ice Age, The Devil Wears Prada, Robots, Shutter Island, Fantastic 4, Brokeback Mountain, Batman Begins, Meet the Fockers, Man on Fire, Book of Eli, The Butterfly Effect, Hell Boy, The Aviator, The Incredibles, The Matrix, Finding Nemo, The Pianist, Catch Me if You Can, Minority Report, About a Boy, I am Sam, Ocena's 11, Monsters Inc., Amele, AI, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Billy Elliot, Best in Show, Memento, The 13th Warrior, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Babe in the City, A Bug's Life, Saving Private Ryan, Alice in Wonderland...
One Amazing Thing I’ve Done
Just one amazing thing I have seen or done in my lifetime? Back in 1994, I traveled solo around the world for 10 months visiting 12 countries.
Teach, Learn, Share
https://radio.adelaide.edu.au/couchsurfing/
WorkAway - work 5 hours per day in exchange for food and accommodation. Some hosts may give a paid allowance to ensure they are offering at least the minimum wage in their country.
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF88952/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. - John Wooden
Volunteer teaching conversational English in exchange for room and board in Europe.
www.diverbo.com
www.angloville.com
www.Helpx.net organic farms, non-organic farms, farmstays, homestays, ranches, lodges, BnBs, backpackers hostels and sailing boats who invite volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for food and accommodation
warmshowers.org (for cyclists)
NOTE: One can car camp in Cabella's sporting stores, Home Depot + Lowe's hardware stores, and Cracker Barrel restaurants, for free, 1 night at a time. It's best to seek permission from a manager.
freecycle.org
happyvagabonds.com workamper.jobs
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves inside us all.
"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
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“If not us, who? If not now, when?” John F. Kennedy
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"Accept it, change it, or walk away."
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"Look for the pattern."
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Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny - Frank Outlaw
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“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!
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"Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do." -John Wooden.
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"Care about people's approval, and you will be their prisoner." -Lao Tzu
http://www.tuifly.com/farefinder/bestoffers?culture=en-GB&airportListOrigin=
CS ADVICE
As you may realize, people use CS for different reasons. Many of us who have been members for a while tend to use CouchSurfing to connect with people either while traveling or hosting where we live.
Typically, one offers a night of surfing on the couch or spare bed.
Usually, conversation over dinner helps people get to know each other better.
Fewer hosts offer their couches for a week or more.
Some people like myself can not open their homes to others but choose to show them the area, attend events together, answer their questions, and offer advice.
It is general practice to review people's profiles before seeking a couch.
The personal message indicating why your host might enjoy your company is then sent.
Less common is a CS host simply offering a free place for someone to stay.
The typical host is trying to connect to a person.
The reference system helps people learn more about you and also determines trust. The more you interact with people, the more references you collect.
CS could be about getting a "cheaper than a hostel" place to stay, but for the most part, it's about people connecting with each other and their community.
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Theodore Roosevelt once said about the man in the arena, "whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is not effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deed, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
What I Can Share with Hosts
Did I mention I am a storyteller and artist? Besides that, I have made meals, painted rooms / fences, house sat, organized homes, assisted with yard sales and more. I mailed gift packs from Hawaii to my hosts. I try to find a meaningful gift for guests as well.
This is the story behind CouchSurfing: "The idea got its start when Casey Fenton impulsively booked a flight to Iceland because of a cheap online airfare and then realized that he didn’t know anyone there and had no idea what to do there.
So he found a list of email addresses for students at the University of Iceland in Rejkevik and sent out emails asking if he could crash with them on their couches. He got lots of invitations and had a fantastic weekend with utter strangers.
When he got home, Fenton and 3 friends created a website to try to systematize the idea. The result was “Couchsurfing,” a new way of meeting people while traveling while enjoying free lodging. People register online and provide some information about themselves. They can either offer a place for other registered Couchsurfers to stay, or explore available couches in selected cities. There are many groups and event pages so its not all about sleeping over. The site charges for helping arrange the connections. It expressly forbids hosts from charging their guests (upon penalty of expulsion from the site’s registry).
Call it semi-organized gift exchange. It’s a Web-assisted gift economy for travelers that thrives simply because people are basically good and enjoy meeting strangers from other places as well as locals. Couchsurfers understand that they are not just getting a free bed; there is an implied social contract that they will spend some time eating or drinking or touring the city with the host. Some hosts take visitors to parties or tourist sites, others just meet them for a chat.
Sleeping arrangements vary from a shared bed to a private guest house."
Countries I’ve Visited
Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States
Countries I’ve Lived In
Australia, Germany, New Zealand, United States
Old School Badges
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23 Vouches
