CURRENT MISSION

To educate, inform and encourage tolerance

ABOUT ME

Ex-musician, now doctor- specialising in Pain Medicine. Teacher, researcher, mother, wife. Still play music in crappy hospital band called Clinical Waste. At heart, still a New Yorker despite 30 years in England!

PHILOSOPHY

Healthcare is a right, not a priviledge- and every person should be empowered to participate in their own treatment and have the knowledge to make informed decisions about health care. I try and live my life as an example of tolerance and openess. Although I am ridiculously busy, I do attempt to live a sustainable existence and wish i had time to be more involved.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Building international communities to overcome prejudice,one friendship at a time.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

While planning a trip to Viet Nam in 1994, I first used the internet to contact friends of friends in NGOs over there, and was offered a room by a doctor and his family. I enjoy travelling and meeting random people- so much easier now to stay in touch than before internet!

Interests

Music (all kinds- even opera and classical), art, film, education, cooking, travelling, writing, allotment gardening

• animals
• cats
• arts
• culture
• writing
• education
• cooking
• gardening
• boating
• traveling
• music
• opera
• teaching
• languages
• medicine

Music, Movies, and Books

Poetry. Short stories. Films that look beautiful with intelligent messages- like Pan's Labyrinth. Films and books that make me think- even trashy ones. Music that makes me laugh, or think, or cry or just dance.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Health charity trip two days boat ride into the Amazon(when I was a student- would love to do that now that I have some competence as a doctor!) where we treated a community of Jivaro indigenous people. I slept on a hammock, swam with pink river dolphins and helped triage patients. We learned about native medicinal plants. I wish I'd known more about dentistry-would have been very useful.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach- basics of first aid, managing chronic pain and acupuncture.
Learn- foreign languages, culture
Share- laughter.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Comfortable bed, a cat, and the nearby Animal Health Trust and horse farms of Newmarket. We have hosted several veterinarians and vet nurses.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Puerto Rico, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United Kingdom, United States