CURRENT MISSION

Brazil

ABOUT ME

I am a teacher in Berkeley, California. I teach the Second Grade. It is a lot of fun. I'm laid back and friendly. The last several years I have taken a big trip every summer. I enjoy learning languages and reading about the places I plan to go.

PHILOSOPHY

Be open to new experiences

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I live near San Francisco and have done quite a bit of hosting. It has been fun to meet people from everywhere. I like to give people my signature San Francisco driving tour. It is always fun. When I take my trips in the summer I always do some couchsurfing. I have met some really great people and had a good time everywhere I have been.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed in China in 2009, in Argentina and Uruguay in 2010 and in Brazil in 2011.

Interests

Languages, travel, music, sports, learning, beer

• singing
• concerts
• dancing
• beer
• partying
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• sports
• soccer
• world cup
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I am always up for something new and different. Lately, it has been Brazilian music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was in Europe in the summer of 2006 and spent 2 weeks in Germany during the Football/Soccer World Cup. My first 24 hours in Germany were nothing short of amazing. My good friends, Friedy and Mani, with whom I lived here in Hamburg in the mid-90s, were responsible for organizing a visit and tour for a 30 member youth orchestra from Brazil. They were able to get them a very interesting place to stay. It was a huge building that used to be a hospital. It was being used to house cultural groups from the participating World Cup countries.
Let me tell you about the best party I have ever been to. My first night in Hamburg the Brazilians had the day off from their touring schedule and a barbacue was planned. Certainly, a party for 30 soccer crazed Brazilians during the World Cup sounds interesting enough, but that was only the beginning. They were sharing the building with a Circus group from Finland, a huge 25 piece band from Portland, Oregon, and a dance troup sent by the Angolan government to celebrate their first ever appearance in the World Cup. The barbacue developed into an impromtu concert-jam session by the Brazilian and American musicians. One group would start in on one of their songs and the other would jump in. The different styles of their music meshed together really well. As they played they were surrounded by the wildly enthusiastic gyrations of the Angolan dancers who jumped about screaming god knows what in portuguise. There we were, North Americans, South Americans, Europeans and Africans all together, singing, playing, dancing and shouting late into the night. People would shout the name of the other countries and all would cheer. BRAZIL- YAHHHHHHHHHH. Angola- YAHHHHHHHHH America- YAHHHHHHHHHHHH Germany- YAHHHHHHHHHHHHH The atmoshere was completely unlike anything I have ever experienced. With all of this going on the Finninsh circus troop decided to get into the act. Athletic-looking men began to balance dainty girls on their heads and throw them up into the air and catch them. It happened to be my friend Mani`s birthday and a large group of them grabbed him and began to throw him up into the air. He sailed a good ten feet up into the air, was caught, and then sent back up again. Spectators shouted encouragemnet in a half-dozen languages. The whole seen was just unbelieveable. Finally, in the early morning hours the party began to peter out. It seems that even Africans and Brazilians have to reluctantly sleep at some point. As I walked away I thought WOW. It was the first night of my trip and I thought that if I took a taxi to the airport and immediately flew home the whole trip would have been worth it.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have been a teacher for a number of years and I often give informal English classes to my non-native English speaking hosts.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States

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