CURRENT MISSION

Making this planet more peaceful, one child at a time, through education and love!

ABOUT ME

It is really hard for me to answer the question, "Where are you from?" I am Japanese and Swedish by blood, but international by experience- growing up in Sweden and Japan, going to university in Canada, working for an NGO as a teacher on a cruiseship circumnavigating the world, studying and volunteering in Guatemala, studying an education to aid life in Italy, and now, working in Hong Kong since August 2014. I hope to continue traveling and finally explore south east asia with this move :)

PHILOSOPHY

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."

There must be a reason why i am here in this cosmos, i am to find that out through the people i meet and the places i go to- and what a lovely place it is to explore.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

By couchsurfing for now. When I get settled in Hong Kong I hope to be a good host- when i am not out there meeting new people and seeing new places of this wondrous world, i would love to have people over to share their adventures!

Interests

Traveling,Cooking & Eating, Reading, Drawing/Painting, music, Knitting,dancing, origami-ing

• dancing
• education
• cooking
• running
• boating
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• knitting
• painting
• drawing
• origami
• music
• hunting
• teaching
• volunteering

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most amazing thing I have done is to travel around the world by sea, for 105 days. It was surreal, educational, inspirational... i learned so much about the world, people, cultures and myself, and am still digesting it while dreaming to return someday soon. Even out of this experience, sleeping under the starfilled sky, in the deserts of Wadi Rum, Jordan,is my highlight. I felt so small, as I saw the sun set and the moon rising, a shooting star going across the sky, then moon setting as the sun was rising from the other side. nature is so simple, but so grand.

Teach, Learn, Share

My calling is teaching: children have such power to change this world into a better, more peaceful, harmonious place. I believe helping each child in their own development, helping each life create him/herself will help this process. I am a qualified Montessori elementary teacher, and am excited to have started my journey of touching children's lives, helping them, for in the long run, benefiting everyone.

I have also worked for the japanese NGO Peace Boat, which works to promote peace and awareness of environmental issues etc, through their global voyages- we traveled 22 countries in 105days, learning about the different situations around the world, while teaching English to onboard participants and children. If you are interested in either, in any way, I am always happy to answer questions and to share my experience.

My blog from different experiences abroad/traveling: http://monicashizukaostergren.blogspot.hk/

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Sweden