CURRENT MISSION

To bring TPRS to China

ABOUT ME

I like: working with kids and young adults and coming of age movies; peak performance technologies and stories of over achievers; writing essays; YouTube videos of X Factor and Britain's Got Talent; reading about politics and history and the big picture; A Course in Miracles; a good cup of tea.

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is to follow the advice of Oscar Wilde and be myself because everyone else already is taken.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

For me, setting goals is about who you become in the process of reaching them, not just about what you get at the end; getting stuff is okay, too. I like improving things and making things better than how I found them. That includes how I teach and where I live but also making amends for some of the dumb stuff I have done over the years.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first experience was a near disaster. We had agreed that I could stay for two week but my host was totally unprepared for such a long stay. It turned out he ate with his parents, did his laundry at his parents house, had no food in his apartment - the refrigerator was unplugged - did not have a job but stayed up all night playing computer games and slept in until noon. After three days we had a problem with the door lock and he refused to call a locksmith because he would have to tell his parents so they could fix it and they "hated foreigner" and would "kill" him if they found out he had one staying with him. I left that afternoon and ended up spending and additional $300 plus on a hotel I had not budgeted for which made things difficult. I could go on about his character or lack thereof but I think I will leave it at that.

Interests

Watching X Factor on You Tube and in depth interviews of people who know what's going on in the world and to hear their take on current events;Chinese culture and getting to know my Chinese friends better. Anything Tim Ferriss and friends are into. I want to start a blog about living in China.

• culture
• writing
• performing arts
• coach
• boating
• politics
• movies
• reading
• blogging
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies, at one time I owned the entire six season collection of Dawson's Creek; I like anything by Satyagit Ray; Saving Private Ryan; Crash;
Music, I like Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Susan Boyle,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I best remember the view of the snows of Tibet from the front porch of my house in India . Around sunset they would turn pink and then a peach fading into lavender until the moon came out and they would begin to quietly shine a golden glow in the far distance.

My favorite memory is of the time when I was a lonely 19 y/o sailor stuck on board my ship for the weekend standing at the bow, feeling a little lost with nothing to do, looking out onto the bay of Naples when a ferryboat packed with tourist lining the rails passed slowly by in the distance on their way to the Isle of Capri. I tried to ignore them and continue my lonely reverie but I couldn't help but notice they all seemed to be looking at me and they all looked so sad, the lot of them. Even at that distance I could almost see sadness coming off the crowded boat like steam. It dawned on me that I must have been making a spectacle of myself without knowing it and, feeling caught and not knowing what else to do and also to check out my perceptions - were they all really looking at me? - I waved hesitantly and then Boom! The whole boatload burst into a happy flurry of eager waves and then they chugged off, perfectly content and happy again. Thinking about it makes me smile even now.

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach writing and have lots of source materials plus a video library of music and dance and talk.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am an EFT practitioner and certified life coach. I can train anyone in EFT - I have all the videos and the personal experience to go with - it doesn't take long and the results are truly amazing.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, India, Italy

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Costa Rica, India, Italy, United States