CURRENT MISSION

I just want to be well, do good work, and keep in touch. Additionally, I'd like to close the American educational achievement gap, maintain a vibrant arts scene in my community and beyond, be a mentor to youth, and ride my bike.

ABOUT ME

Oh my. I'm new here, so I'm not sure where to start. I am a do-gooding young professional who currently lives in Seattle. Over the course of my life, I have lived in San Diego, CA; Park City, UT; San Jose, Costa Rica; Western Mass; Montpellier, France; Phoenix, AZ; and Cambridge, England. I speak fairly fluent Spanish and better French. Now that I have a "real" job I have less time (and less money, ironically) for the kind of traveling I like to do, I haven't taken a Big Trip in a long time. But I am always saving up vacation and funds for something: whether it be two weeks in the Yucatan, five weeks in Japan, Korea, and China, or a two-day, 200-mile bikeride from Seattle to Portland.

PHILOSOPHY

Wow. I try to live a life of service. This may stem from my Catholic upbringing, which is worrisome since I have recently embraced atheism. In any case, I feel that it is really important that I use my skills and resources in service to my community. So far that has meant that I have worked as a teacher and a mentor to youth, and that I volunteer a lot of my time to causes that matter to me - most recently in the arts. I try to leave a small ecological footprint: I ride my bike as much as possible; I am mostly vegetarian; I use eco-friendly products; I try not to over-consume in general... but we all have our vices/guilty pleasures. Speaking of which - I love a good beer or glass of wine, but in general I'm not a big drinker. Same thing goes for other intoxicants. What else? I'm just doing my best - I bet the same goes for you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am just getting my feet wet at this point. I met some CSers on a recent trip to Toronto and got really interested. I hope to host in the near future, as I do have a couch.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have never had an experience through this website, as I am new here. But I have used personal connections to line up couches all over the world. The best experience was when I stayed with a friend of a friend in Berlin. She was actually out of town for most of the time that I was there so I was incredibly touched that she felt comfortable with having me stay while she was out of town. I had been backpacking for several weeks by the time I arrived at her place so I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I discovered she had an in-unit washer and dryer!

I recently finally had the opportunity to pay it forward when I hosted some touring dancers in my apartment. I just have a one-bedroom with a pull-out couch, and there were three dancers, so I stayed at my (then) boyfriend's house so they could have my place to themselves. There were similarly touched by my hospitality, and I was so happy to do it! So in this sense, I think I understand the CS project! :)

Interests

Road biking, hiking, snowboarding, movies (writing, watching, discussing, making), feminism, vegetarian food, travel (obviously), kids, words, books.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• causes
• womens rights
• dining
• wine
• beer
• vegetarian
• movies
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• snowboarding
• teaching
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I love the film La haine by Mathieu Kassovitz - it's probably my all-time favorite. I have spent the majority of my life studying literature so I have a hard time "listing books I am interested in" - I read a lot and I am interested in everything from La Recherche to Dune. Music? Oy vey. It's been a big part of my life. I love hip hop. I love lots of other stuff too. I can introduce you to a lot of amazing music from the Northwest that you might not know about!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm still really amazed that I got to see the Great Wall of China. Standing upon it was definitely a "pinch me" moment. Another "pinch me" moment was when I graduated from the University of Cambridge - I still can't believe I pulled that off!

Teach, Learn, Share

I am a teacher, and I feel that over the years I have developed some good tricks/skills when it comes to delivering information or instruction. So if you want to learn how to teach something, I might be able to help you! I also know quite a bit about how to analyze film, literature, and pop culture, and I LOVE talking about these topics, so I feel like I have a lot to share in that regard.

I want to learn more about cycling in general, including bicycle maintenance and bike touring tips. I would like to learn how to stretch my money farther - wouldn't we all? What tricks do you have?