Growth and learning, wise action, liberating, curiosity, love and solidarity are key parts of my lifestyle.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

CS is a simple and courageous way to learn. To welcome and be welcomed, to share stories, skills, knowledge and wisdom, friendship, safe space--the foundation of the cs experience which to me is about solidarity and kindness.

"If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
- Lilla Watson

“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.”
- Zora Neale Hurston

“The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit.”
- Wade Davis

"Live the life you love and love the life you live."
- Bob Marley

“One of the reasons… that our youth is so badly educated—and it is inconceivably badly educated—is because education demands a certain daring, a certain independence of mind, you have to teach young people to think… and in order to teach young people to think you have to teach them to think about everything. There mustn’t be something they can’t think about. If there’s one thing they can’t think about, then very shortly they can’t think about anything... Now there’s always something in this country of course one cannot think about—what one cannot think about is the negro.”
- James Baldwin (1961)

"Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land."
- Walt Whitman

"What presides over the poem is not the most lucid intelligence, the sharpest sensibility or the subtlest feelings, but experience as a whole."
- Aimé Césaire

"We're all going to die, all of us; what a circus! That alone should make us love each other, but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities."
- Charles Bukowski

“We're all just walking each other home.”
- Ram Dass

Music, Movies, and Books

Ceci est un terrier de lapin. Todos! Ask me and I'll let you know what I'm currently listening to/reading/watching ✌🏼

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm amazed by authenticity, love, and Beings who are struggling, supporting, celebrating and standing in solidarity with each other and all kin.

Teach, Learn, Share

-sharing authentically, listening, supporting 💚
-music, films, languages, art, cool readings
-love a good hike/mountain climb
-clean and cook (yummy recipes? yes please!)
-eager to learn more about gardening, sustainable living, vegetarian and vegan recipes, health and nurturing, art, activism (in whatever you're passionate about!), local history, community living

What I Can Share with Hosts

Apart from the normal sharing of cooking/cleaning/being a friendly and respectful guest...

I would love to get to know you, share wholesome conversation and participate in whatever activities you're interested in.
I've worked in education (early-childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary), libraries, social and peer support, and coordinated arts and science workshops, so if you'd like to learn about any of that and/or create something arty and/or go through some body movement exercises together I'd be happy to share :)

😌 no worries if you're chill and just want to do your own thing.

I also enjoy speaking and practicing English, French, Korean, Arabic or Spanish (or learning about whatever language is spoken wherever I am) Jammin and dancing!

A note for hangouts and general cs meets:

I've had a string of cs hangouts lately that have prompted me to make this note....

Often when being around travelers it's easy to get stuck in the "Where are you from?" fog. And stereotypes abound... zzz 🥱 also, many people find this question challenging/complex/irrelevant, and sometimes there isn't an 'insert country' response.
Rather than this, I suggest being more creative and curious--For example: What drives you to travel? Any cool stories? Any meaningful events happening in your life? What's a big lesson you've learned? Have you explored anything fun recently? Where might you feel like a local (may be a better question than where are you from), or how have language/s shaped you, or what do you think/feel about culture, or what interests or inspires you? etc.
Let's connect with our shared humanity and not just fall into categorical comparisons and stereotypes. Details about parts of our multifaceted and wonderful identities and stories come out organically anyway as we simply learn about each other in more interesting ways :)
With kindness and solidarity 🪷✊🏼

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Colombia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea