I'm a writer and artist. I love to travel, read and learn about local music and food culture wherever I go. I also teach English and Spanish (depending on where I am, since I'm fluent in both languages). My husband (who sometimes travels with me) is a journalist and football (soccer) fanatic who speaks fluent Catalan and Spanish and intermediate English.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm hoping that Couchsurfing will provide a more authentic "local" experience than hotels and hostels. Also, I'm getting to an age where the "party all night" atmosphere that's pretty typical in hostels can be exhausting. Winding-down with a glass of wine and something to eat is more my style.

Interests

I love to read and travel. Also, I love to visit supermarkets everywhere I travel--I think they have a lot to say about local culture.

• arts
• culture
• humanities
• writing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• partying
• crafts
• traveling
• music
• piano
• soccer
• communications
• journalism
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

BOOKS: Our Sometimes Sister, and German for Travelers by Norah Labiner, The Beauty of the Husband, Anne Carson, Me Talk Pretty Someday, Dave Seders, Grimm's Fairytales, The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Anderson, The Mysts of Avalon, anything Mary Stewart.

MUSIC: The Traveling Wilburys (you can't lose with Dylan, Petty, Orbison and Harrison), Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Paul Simon's Graceland, WILCO, Tori Amos, Ani Difranco, Aimee Mann, The Piano Guys, Ojos de Brujo, Macaco, Swedish House Mafia, Pentatonix-- I like most kinds of music from classical to heavy metal. I don't like most newer country musicians (with the exception of the Civil Wars) --I prefer old school stuff with more of a bluegrass twang. I'll forgive a lot of terrible lyrics when it comes to pop if the beat is dance-y and fun.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I don't feel like I've achieved a lot that's amazing but I've seen lots of amazing places and want to see more. I've traveled and studied abroad a lot, won some neat scholarships and was a Fulbright finalist for Spain.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can help language learners looking to improve their Spanish or English. I play piano passably well, am familiar with lots of media techniques (watercolor, oils ink, collage, etc) as well as basic jewelry making, and up cycled art. I'm a pretty good cook and am happy to show hosts my favorite tricks for making American sweets and popular tex-med dishes, as well as a few Spanish/Catalan classics I've mastered during my time in Barcelona

I'm interested in learning the basics of local languages, local cuisine, music, culture and arts & crafts.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook, teach people some basic Spanish and English, make art....

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Scotland, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Mexico, Spain, United States