CURRENT MISSION

Using music to dramatically alter social inequality and injustice in the world. Also, living a life of joy and availability!

CURRENT LOVES

I love loud laughter and juicy questions. I live for big ideas and metaphors, though do spend a lot of time in my day-to-day involved in details (so continuously dancing that dance of balance!). I am a musician (violist and violinist), enjoy dabbling in new instruments and new genres, and play in both a Symphony Orchestra and an all-female eclectic Latin music group. I've lived in Yakima since 2012 and moved here to launch and run a social program for kids that uses music. (Google: El Sistema!). I've recently gotten more involved and invested in yoga, meditation, and various crafting projects (knitting mostly, but learning how to use a sewing machine for an exciting project). I enjoy beer and breweries, and am currently loving stouts!

PHILOSOPHY

I seek to wed justice and joy. By spirit and discipline, I am an artist, academic, and activist. I care to learn from anyone and everyone who wants to change the world in some positive way. I'm cultivating and deepening my practice of genuine generosity and care to learn from anyone who practices and/or embodies this too.

QUOTE OF THE SEASON

"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare." -- Audre Lorde

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm pretty new to couchsurfing on this website, but I've hosted a few folks, have loved meeting and hosting them, and am excited to branch out to do some more surfing myself.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've really enjoyed my experiences of surfing on the couches of folks I've met serendipitously while traveling internationally, and love the idea of participating in a network where that's happening on a regular basis.

Interests

Exploring cities. Reading fiction. Reading nonfiction. Writing. Making music with wonderful people. Joyful conversation. Interesting and intense conversation. Community-building. Hiking. Knitting. Beers! Recently, developing my friendship with yoga, meditation, and new crafty / handy projects.

• arts
• writing
• singing
• coloring
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• beer
• yoga
• running
• meditation
• reading
• traveling
• knitting
• music
• latin music
• piano
• violin
• hiking
• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

Music I crave regularly: Esperanza Spalding, Lila Downs, Shanghai Restoration Project / Zhang Le, Erykah Badu, Brahms, Ravel, Debussy, K'naan, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Gotan Project

Movies I'll watch any time if you ask me to: Wasteland, Erin Brockovich, any Toy Story movie

Books I've savored recently: Zeitoun (D. Eggers), The Lowland (J. Lahiri), The Power of Habit (C. Duhigg), Americanah (C. Ngozi Adichie), Sudden Fiction Latino (compilation), Blu's Hanging (L. A. Yamanaka)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Started a women of color activists' musical group (a.k.a., a bad-ass band with a social mission) with two other kick-ass musician friends, who also dedicate themselves to social-justice-driven humanitarian work both for their "day jobs" and through their art!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach violin, viola, and piano (I have a keyboard). I sing a bit too, and can teach anyone how to sight-sing and/or read sheet music! I can teach Mandarin, Chinese to a beginner, too.

I'd love to learn how to drive stick shift, improve my Spanish and Mandarin language abilities, learn how to cook [family] recipes from other countries, and improve my novice acoustic double bass skills.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share food (local fruits and veggies, if I'm coming from Yakima), stories, recipes, questions, ideas, and music.

Countries I’ve Visited

Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States