CURRENT MISSION

Wow! I didn't realize couch surfing got so personal... Well since you're asking, my current mission is self-discovery/ healing. I believe that to be authentic and genuinely love others, one must first learn to love oneself unconditionally.

ABOUT ME

My background is quite mixed: mom & dad from Brazil (Minas Gerais & Sao Paulo respectively). Mom's ancestry all Brazilian then Portuguese when you go back far enough. Dad's mom was Austrian & his dad was Lithuanian. I grew up in loud and crazy Miami Beach but spent my summers in the quite mountain town where my mom is from. What a contrast! So although I am a water baby and beach bum at heart, lush green mountains and trees have a nostalgic effect on me.

As mentioned above, I am a licensed massage therapist with a strong interest in alternative medicine and holistic healing. To become the best healer I have learned that I must first heal myself. I cannot preach what I do not practice. Traveling is one of the best opportunities for me to disconnect from the chaos of life and prioritize the things I want to spend my time doing. I love how much time I have to read during my travels! It feels like such a rare treat when I am home.

I have also studied Permaculture and am a Certified Permaculture Designer; although I am still more of a student than a designer at this stage. I am all about sustainability and hope to educate others how to live with a lighter footprint and more consciously through my work with a local nonprofit, Fertile Earth Foundation. It is much more than being green, living sustainably is about learning to harmonize with Nature and heal our disconnection to the Planet (& ourselves).

Hhhmmmm, what else about me...? I like to make my own cleaning and beauty products. Buying organic of this stuff is really expensive and a lot of it is not really as safe or nontoxic as they make it seem. So over the past year I have replaced all my cleaning products with essential oils, baking soda, & vinegar and learned to make lotion, hair creme, deodorant, and face masks & cleansers. I find it both fun and empowering! It never ceases to amaze me how easy some of this stuff is. If you are interested, pick my brain all you want :)

PHILOSOPHY

I think I covered is in the All About Me section, but if I had to sum up my life philosophy, I would say they are:
1) live by example, it is the only effective way to change the world; 2) reality is perspective. if you do not like your life, the easiest way to improve it is to just change how you view it. some say this is over simplistic, but I disagree. 3) live simply so that others my simply live. Greed and competition are destroying our planet, its resources and our ability to thrive on it. There is so much abundance in nature. If we just realize that, then all fear of "not having enough" would cease to exist.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I need places to crash during my upcoming road trip. It is an early birthday present to myself (Nov 8) to discover some awesome American landscapes and myself! Though I have left the country several times, I feel like I barely know my own home country. And trust me, Miami is not at all like the rest of America! That much I do know, lol!

Would love to meet up with anyone visiting Miami area in the future. Cannot offer my couch unfortunately, but meeting up for a meal or a drink would be nice. I am a bit of a foodie!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Total novice! Have heard wonderful experiences from friends but have never had the pleasure myself. Most places I travel to I either have a place to stay or have gone with Hotels & hostels. This time I wanted to try something different...

Interests

Likes & Interests: food, cooking, health, nutrition, holistic healing, yoga, reiki, nature, permaculture, sustainability, philosophy, sociology, and psychology.
Not particularly fond of: sports and hollywood gossip. I gave up cable years ago and sometimes can be a little out of the loop with popular current events. Sometimes I feel like a 27 year old grandma, lol!

• design
• documentaries
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• baking
• yoga
• drinking
• traveling
• surfing
• sports
• genealogy
• medicine
• psychology
• sociology
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite movies: Amelie, Finding Nemo, Spirited Away, the Princess Bride, Dogma, Life of Brian, the Holy Grail, 300, Kill Bill 1 & 2, Forks Over Knives, Super Size Me, Crazy Sexy Cancer, Harold & Maude, the Games of Love, and the Labyrinth.
Favorite Musicians: Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Xavier Rudd, Jack Johnson, Matisyahu
Favorite books: anything that teaches me more about alternative health, wellness, organic gardening, and also psychology and some science.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went to Thailand for 6 weeks as a production coordinator on a low budget documentary about the Asian Elephant called, How I Became an Elephant (feel free to google it). My boyfriend is a filmmaker and it was just around the time that I was transitioning careers, so was able to give myself plenty of time off. It was a fascinating and very educational journey on so many levels! Spending that much time there I really felt like I got to know Thailand a little better than your average tourist.

Teach, Learn, Share

As mentioned in the All About me, I make my own cleaning and beauty products. Super easy to do with things most people have in their house. Even "drano" can be made with baking soda, salt and white vinegar. Removing toxins from your home (& life) and reorienting the energy in my home are passions of mine that I love to share.

With 2 or more people, I could also teach some quick and easy massage techniques.

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, France, Italy, Netherlands, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States