CURRENT MISSION

to live and learn, enjoying the journey

ABOUT ME

I love languages and traveling, basically because I like people. I've traveled, lived, studied and worked a lot overseas (more than 6 years of my life, total - mostly Europe - see country section). I was settled for over 10 years in New York City, before joining the Peace Corps, taking off again to teach English in Jordan for 3 years. I'm currently living in Lexington, KY, where I've returned to doing massage therapy after about 8 years of teaching ESL. I like yoga, swimming, running and cycling, although I'm not always able to do them regularly.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I hosted many, many interesting international travelers when I was living in Jordan, but I've only surfed a couple of times myself. I'm currently trying to renovate my house bit by bit, so I may or may not be able to host here in Lexington. I look forward to sharing what I know and what I've experienced.

Interests

• culture
• dining
• cooking
• yoga
• running
• massage therapy
• politics
• traveling
• cycling
• sports
• olympics
• swimming
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: very eclectic - been getting more into bluegrass, but love dance/pop, rock, folk and "world" music
Movies: don't watch a lot, but some that stand out in my mind are: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Monster, The Wind that Shakes the Barley - I'm sure many more
Books: I try to alternate between fiction and non-fiction - recently read and enjoyed Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation, and several of David Sedaris's collections of short stories.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was selected for a team of licensed massage therapists to do sports massage at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, working on elite athletes from all over the world. A really amazing experience. I was stationed at the aquatic center, so I also got to see many of those events. It was a great combination of my professional skills and my interest in travel and languages.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know and enjoy teaching/learning about:
languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, others history/culture/politics
cooking/food/nutrition
massage therapy/stretching/yoga/general health

What I Can Share with Hosts

In addition to numerous tales of travel, language and cultural differences, I try to help out, cleaning or washing dishes, staying neat and out of the way. I'm a decent cook, but still feel self-conscious cooking for others - more than willing to help in the kitchen and/or buy some wine/beer. I also don't mind helping anyone move a piece of furniture, carry stuff, run an errand. If I'm able to help, I will. I don't push it on anyone, but I'm certainly willing to offer legit massage work to anyone who needs it and asks nicely.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Finland, France, Jordan, United States

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