CURRENT MISSION

***Profile in progress August 2024***

Recently I have been teaching 4th grade, volunteering to support the 2024 election.
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Heal violence and alienation through studying love & community at Tamera www.tamera.org Challenge relationship norms while embracing diverse styles of relationships and friendships through my coaching service www.loveleafcoaching.com

*I don't have my profile set to "accepting guests" because I prefer to browse Couchsurfers who seem like we would have a common point of interest. Also, for a year our garage door was broken so it was harder to host Couchsurfers. Anyway, if you find my profile and you are looking for a couch in San Francisco, send me a message :)

ABOUT ME

I'm a relationship/friendship coach and workshop teacher who loves to dance, do aerial silks, and support important local policy change for issues such as workers rights, Black Lives Matter, and sustainable food systems. In 2014 I started an exciting career transition from classroom teaching (US and Thailand) to starting a business, Love Leaf Coaching.

Teaching in Thailand introduced me to a higher material quality of life (working only 40 hours a week and earning 10 times my luxury rental apartment) that is nearly impossible in San Francisco. Teaching also revealed to me the pro-White racism typical of English language departments in Asia, mainly the belief that white people (including non native English speakers) are better able to teach English than non White native speakers (such as my Vietnamese-American husband).
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Teaching and coaching are my passions, and dance/aerial silks is my life force. Oh, and I recently started doing standup comedy! Sorry if I'm not very funny when I'm jet lagged or communicating in a language other than English. I enjoy discussing social and political issues, going on outdoor adventures, reading and dancing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My best couch surfing experiences have been with people that value building connections with new people more than getting and providing a free place to stay. I know how painfully expensive my city is, and I am happy to host people, yet I know that couch surfing will work out best if you carefully read my profile and decide that I am someone you would like to meet.

I love to help people enjoy my city and learn about their lives. Although I love hosting, I can get really distracted by my natural love of connecting with people in my home and I have many goals I am pursuing right now. I am so sorry if I am not able to host you :( I've heard it can be hard to find a host in San Francisco, so here are my tips

TIPS FOR PERSONAL/LOW-BUDGET TRAVEL IN SAN FRANCISCO:
-post a public trip in which you immediately describe who you are and what you are doing so that you attract attention from the right type of host (hint: there are tons of young people looking to explore San Francisco, but a barista who is passionate about exploring new cafes stands out much more).
-message A LOT of hosts and keep tailoring your CS request to them
-time your visit so that you can go to a SF Couchsurfing meetup early in your trip and connect with the CS community face to face before you find a host or travel mates
-if you can't fit in a CS meeting, try Meetup.com (tons of activity and language practicing groups in San Francisco)
-filter your search by LEAST experienced hosts because they are less likely to get 10 Couch Requests a day (like me)
-stay in nearby, cheaper cities (Oakland, Berkeley, Daly City) and make day trips to San Francisco
-use public transit to see real San Franciscans and save money (it is also fairly common for San Franciscans to welcome chats with strangers on public transit)
-download aps on your phone to help you travel cheaply and safely
Nextbus (shows you when nearby buses and trains are arriving)
Lyft, Uber, Sidecar (on demand ridesharing; Lyft and Sidecar have non-licenced drivers connected through Facebook and online payment systems; you and your driver see each other's picture before you get a ride and you rate each other after the ride)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In San Francisco I've many couch surfers and it has been really fun and enlightening.

In rural Sisaket Thailand, I used Couchsurfing as a way to connect with people when I was fairly isolated from English speakers.

Two of my rewarding couch surfing experiences came from meeting people where there was no interest in hosting or surfing. One was reaching out to another English teacher's profile on CS while living in Sisaket. The other was meeting a Thai woman at a Bangkok CS meetup who ended up offering me a place to stay and the we became good friends.

Oh and I met my business coach through Couchsurfing. Possibilities are limitless!

Interests

Aerial silks, education reform, growth mindset theory, food justice, farmworkers rights, dance classes, theater, going out dancing, playing and swimming in water, hiking, going on historical tours, talking about school experiences, reading, swimming in a swimmable mermaid tail.

• vegetarian
• dance
• standup comedy
• aerial arts
• food justice
• circus arts
• dance parties
• sustainable travel
• decolonialism

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Naomi Klein, Starhawk, Octavia Butler, Purity, Freedom, The Corrections, The Goldfinch, , Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Autobiography of Malcolm X, Angry Black White Boy, Catfish and Mandala

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My introduction to teaching as a career came when I volunteered as a tutor at the Making Changes Center in Richmond, California, USA. This after school program was founded by two teacher activists who fasted and marched 70 miles to the state capital to get then Governor Arnold Shwatrzenneger to forgive the debt the school district owed the State. The governor forgave much of the debt and this saved many school programs and teacher jobs. With little money, these two teachers started the program in their garage.

Teach, Learn, Share

What I can teach/share:

Local Info: current San Francisco social issues, where to go dancing/clubbing, warm 1 day getaways from San Francisco, restaurants, dance classes

Skills: dancing (house, hip hop, jazz), aerial silks, teaching elementary school and special education,

What I would like to practice and share: speaking English, French, Spanish, Japanese (beginner) and Thai (beginner).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Great conversations, relationship coaching, motivation to do exercise together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Japan, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Thailand, United States

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