I am a gardener/chef/jack of several trades who has been living at a Zen center in California for most of my adult life (when I'm not traveling!) I have been lay ordained in the Soto Zen tradition and our community of practitioners hosts guests, cooks delicious meals for them, and runs an organic farm as well as following a strict meditation schedule every day. It's a beautiful life and it's where I met my husband Jordan (JoJo).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My husband Jordan and I are on an extended honeymoon of sorts. In the spring of 2019 we drove our converted camper van around the Southwest, got married in June in California, and we will be traveling internationally from late July-December 2019. We love to meet people when traveling and to contribute to the places that we visit, so couch surfing is a wonderful way for us to do that.

Interests

• gardening
• reading
• knitting
• music
• hiking
• kayaking
• swimming
• cooking and baking
• zen buddhism

Music, Movies, and Books

It's hard to narrow down, but here goes:

Music: Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan, Ray Lamontagne, Aretha Franklin, Talking Heads, Fela Kuti, Cut Copy, Stevie Wonder, Radiohead, Joni Mitchell, Glenn Gould, Prince, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, The Clash, A Tribe Called Quest, Joanna Newsom, OutKast, Van Morrison, Fleet Foxes, MIA, Nina Simone, The Breeders, Jeff Buckley.

Movies: Anything by Hitchcock and/or with Cary Grant in it, anything by the Coen Brothers, The Royal Tenenbaums, Lost in Translation, Casablanca, La La Land, Pretty in Pink.

Books: The Neapolitan novels, Plague of Doves, War and Peace (for real, I've read it twice), Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Nix, Leaves of Grass, One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Catcher in the Rye...I just read Michael Pollan's new book and it was amazing....there are so many good books!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've worked on farms all over the world, learning how to make goat cheese, tap maple syrup, harvest rice, and so much more. I've also been privileged to study sea turtles in Mexico and work on an educational sailboat on the Hudson River. But one of the most amazing things I've done is to be the "head student" or shuso at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, where I gave talks on the dharma, met with students one-on-one, and culminated in a ceremony of rapid-fire questions and expressions - as an introvert, this was a hugely transformative experience for me.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am interested in learning about other cultures - ways of relating, cooking, taking care of the land, musical expressions, and more.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My husband Jordan and I are both great cooks, and cooking a meal for our hosts might be our favorite way of giving back and sharing. We are also happy to share other aspects of our life experience - dharma teachings and Zen meditation instruction - if our hosts are interested in learning more about that. We also love to share storytelling and music. And if our hosts would prefer to be quiet, we are good at that, too!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States