CURRENT MISSION

Learn about humanity and the world

ABOUT ME

I try to always see the other person's point of view. I love new experiences. I try to stay positive in my approach to everything. Kindness is vital.

PHILOSOPHY

There is no one "right" religion or sect or philosophy. I try to learn from all. For example, the Jewish scholar Hillel was asked by a man to teach him the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel replied, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole Torah while the rest is commentary." So: treat others as you would wish to be treated - the Christian golden rule.

I use Buddhist principles, which start with "life is suffering". I try to use the "right thought", "right intent", "right action", "right speech" and other principles in my life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. Keeps me sane, especially during the long Michigan winters. My newest gig is as a reading tutor to second graders, but I've done/will do anything!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So much fun! We've had 4 Nepali kids who entered a local university; a guitar virtuoso holding a concert; an editor from Buzzfeed attending a wedding. We love meeting new people and helping them while they're here. Stephanie used to work for the local medical education cooperative, so medical residents who are looking for a place to crash while interiewing are VERY welcome!

Interests

I love finding information. Hey, I spent 30 years as a medical librarian! Now, I enjoy genealogy because it makes me understand history in a personal way. And I get to indulge in the great game of finding and organizing information. I love computers and technology and keep myself up-to-date. I enjoy photography and camping and reading, reading, reading! Tom and I both enjoy travel and do it very frequently and widely. Our next big trip will be Eastern Europe. Tom plays highly complicated board games and we have an entire room in our home dedicated to that. He plays "World in Flames" which takes 9 days and 4 other people to play. Yikes! We love to play Pandemic, Freedom, Ticket to Ride (we have several varieties), Settlers of Catan (we have several) and more.

• photography
• technology
• reading
• camping
• teaching
• genealogy
• history
• religion
• volunteering
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Anything that stretches my brain and takes me elsewhere or elsewhen. I love good scifi like Ursula K. Leguin, George R.R. Martin, Orson Scott Card. I love "junk" like the Stephanie Plum books. I love historical fiction, because I can learn while I read and understand history better. I loved how a single History of Film class opened my eyes to the art of film-making, and try to watch old classics like "Seven Samurai", anime like "Spirited Away", cult flics like "Princess Bride" and "Blade Runner" and "Pan's Labyrinth", and the latest greats like "Pulp Fiction" or "Lincoln".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Riding bicycles down the volcano Haleakela - you go down 11,000 feet and five ecological zones.

Teach, Learn, Share

Friendly people. Kind people. People who like to teach. People who can teach while preserving students' self-esteem. FUNNY people (you learn what you enjoy!). People who LOVE what they do - it's infectious.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking, cleaning, organizing. Stories - lots of stories. Genealogy skills.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Grenada, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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