CURRENT MISSION

Danita Pappas: The Future of Music Education

ABOUT ME

If I am not on a trip, I am planning one (or 10). I LOVE finding another piece of myself in different places around the world. I enjoy meeting new people. I especially enjoy those random moments that come up in life - at home or away - that remind you that there are fabulous people in the world. Like the guy in NYC who overheard me say something about the direction we should head to go somewhere and w/o slowing down, he pointed us the right way. Or the guy in Bristol with the amazing smile that helped us get on the right bus when we were exhausted from a 12 hour trip. Or the dudes in the Park Blocks near campus that shared free poetry with me. If we just slow down long enough, we will find memorable moments and we can create great memories.

I come from a large family and we all have big, strong personalities. My roots are in the Pacific Northwest. In 2016 I decided it was time to make my dream of living in New York City a reality. So, I quit my job and moved to Harlem. One of the best decisions I've made.

PHILOSOPHY

Live a life of love and fun.

My friend told me once that for me there is no such thing as a stranger - only friends I haven't met yet.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I surf sometimes. I love it! I live in aa apartment with 5 roommates and can't host in NYC, but I love to meet new people and show them a little of my adopted city.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My friend referred me to this site when I was talking about traveling in Europe and the kind of experiences I was looking for. This is it! Being able to connect with people who live where I visit. It is so much more personal than a hotel or even a hostel can be.

I stayed with some AMAZING people on a trip to Baltimore, an AWESOME mother/daughter duet in Victoria BC and several since then. I've hosted cyclists who needed a place in the boondocks and I am sold on the whole idea. It is great to be reminded of the good there is in this world through kind and loving people.

Interests

Reading books. Taking photos of people and things. Talking. Eating delicious food. Making music. Making high school girls jealous with the photo of me and the vampire Edward. Walking. Whistling. Funny things students say. Going on adventures. The $1 store. When a wind blows the leaves off the trees and they swirl all around me. Beach time. Connecting with people. Bad reality TV. Listening to my mom tell stories. Laughing.

• books
• poetry
• architecture
• education
• dining
• walking
• flying
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• music
• teaching
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I love to watch movies. I own a bunch of them. I will watch a movie over and over again. I am THAT girl who likes watching a movie with the commentary. I find it fascinating. I love previews and special features!

Some favorite over-watched movies: Connie and Carla, He's Just Not That Into You, Strictly Ballroom, My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Others I own and love: Big Fish, Waking Ned Divine, August Rush, Life Is Beautiful,

I also read a TON. I usually read before bedtime. Sometimes I read a book just to have something to do and finish it because I hope it will get better. This has happened because I had to tell myself to quit spending so much money on books. I let myself buy books from the $1 store or from the thrift store. You don't always find the best books at the $1 store (although I loved Janet Jackson's "True You", Queen Latifah's "Heart Stopping Moments on the Path to Queendom", Elizabeth Kostova's "The Swan Theives and Dianne Dixon's "The Language of Secrets"- all $1 store finds).

I LOVE reading. I read to learn, I read for enjoyment, I read out of boredom. My greatest fantasy is to have a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast. As I get older, I go for quality - not quantity and I try to get rid of the stupid books I find. Also, I love books that you hold in your hand and turn real paper pages. I do read from the iPad, but don't find as much enjoyment doing it that way.

Music - I LOVE IT! Life would be boring without it. I find now that I am teaching, I don't listen to music at home as much as I used to. I value silence and quiet more now. That said, some favorites that come to mind immediately:
"Classical" - Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, Mozart's clarinet stuff, Beethoven's 7th- movement 2 & Moonlight Sonata
I am a sucker for singer/songwriters like Duncan Sheik, Jack Savoretti, Ben Howard, Mat Kearney and Joshua Radin
I love Pink Martini, Alicia Keys and NKOTB
Now that I’m in NY, I’ve upped my Broadway showtunes rep and found obscure amazing bands like Sirintip and Lohai.

The only genres I don't really identify with are country, screamo, and hard core rap.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've seen and done some AMAZING things. The first thing that comes to mind -- I went to Thailand by myself. It was the furthest away I could get for the least amount of money for the longest amount of time. It was so different than anything I had ever experienced. The people, the food, the architecture. Just beautiful!
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Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Myanmar, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States