I'm a 55 year old woman hard at work lately trying to spread the word about a making the world a better place by helping people cope better with past and current experiences of trauma. I do this as a school counselor on the Flathead Reservation in Montana and as a trainer for the Trauma Resource Institute. I've also been raising a friend's grandson for the past three years. This has kept me from doing much traveling but has steeped me in an amazing experience of parenting, sharing and loving. When I do find some free time I like being outside in the woods and fields, hiking and camping or on the water floating in some contraption or other. I also enjoy cooking, contra-dancing and reading and have slowly become a beginning gardener.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Probably not for exactly the "right" reason at the moment. But probably not really wrong either. I'm having trouble finding housing for myself and an international Fullbright Scholar who I'm bringing to Oregon for a Train the Trainer course in building community resilience. I'll be helping teach the course and she's excited to bring the skills back to their countries. She doesn't have much money and I need to keep it affordable myself. If I were alone, I might camp but I'm not sure my charges will be comfortable with that arrangement and it seems like it would be more fun to stay with a local than in the woods for this trip. Also, the training will be quite intense and roughing it, while fun when on vacation, might be less fun after several days of hard work and a 10 hour car trip. Eventually I'd like to open my home to surfers as well. Once my kid is off to college, I'll have room both physically and emotionally for meeting folks and sharing my lovely town.

Interests

I pretty much covered these briefly above but I can add that I'm also interested in how other's perceive their world and manage it's challenges and delights. I'm interested in continuing to grow as a person who's presence in this world is positive and makes a valuable contribution.

• dancing
• cooking
• partying
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• law

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - it varies but lately I prefer mellow rock, folk and world music.
Movies - geez, I'm really not that good at coming up with "favorites" in these categories. I like independent films that are quirky. I avoid violent films and those filled with family dysfunction (I see enough of those subjects in my work to not find it entertaining).
Books - recently I haven't had much time for pleasure reading and am reading mostly for work....which I actually really enjoy. But a good novel that's well written is also a pleasure and I'm hoping to read The Alchemist which a friend recommended and I found in a yard sale just a few days later.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've been lucky to have done several. I've traveled on my own through several countries, milked cows on a kibbutz in Israel, done aid work in Sri Lanka after the tsunami there, survived an avalanche followed by a blizzard in the back-country when another person in my party didn't and I've chosen to live in a state and a town that was far from my home of birth and come to call it home.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Appreciation for one. I love people who are open and trusting enough to welcome strangers into their homes. For the specific travel experience that's prompted this profile, I hope, if it works out, to share some cultural diversity as my companions are fascinating, well educated and good people from Afghanistan and Togo. We wouldn't be around a lot but sharing a meal or an evening walk would be lovely. I think you'll be awed and inspired by the intentions and compassion of the group of us.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Sri Lanka

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, Japan, United States Minor Outlying Islands