CURRENT MISSION

My mission is always to learn, to communicate, to connect with others.

ABOUT ME

I am a lover of words, art, travel, wild places, human connection, and learning about cultures through language and food. My dad is from Turkey, and I have spent several summers visiting family in Turkey & Israel. I am a writer (mostly of poetry); much of my writing is inspired by my physical environment. I am devoted to making positive social change and creating beauty throughout my life. I am a firm believer that our health as human beings is connected to the health of the earth, and I'm interested in alternative medicine (specifically plants as medicine). I am currently teaching English and living in Madrid, which I love.

PHILOSOPHY

Right now the words I'm living by, trying to work toward, are "resilience" and "strength." In general, I believe in the inevitability of change, the necessity of social change, and the beauty and joy that can accompany working toward a better world. I am a believer in art, in all of its forms, and its power to inspire and motivate. My most transformative moments have been during my travels when I experienced the strength of intentional communities and felt the pulse of common struggle. I joke about needing to live off the grid, but maybe I'll really do it one day :-)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've hosted folks at my group house in DC and couchsurfed during my roadtrip across the country (as well as here in Europe). I met truly wonderful, adventurous, and welcoming people that way. Couchsurfing has revolutionized my travels!

Interests

Writing, drawing, making music (playing guitar and singing harmonies), playing boardgames (especially backgammon), cooking, fermenting/pickling/brewing beer, making herbal medicine, reading novels, doing yoga, learning about plants, the local food movement, sharing meals with family and friends.

• arts
• writing
• poetry
• singing
• beauty
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• yoga
• reading
• traveling
• homebrewing
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• medicine
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I mostly enjoy folk-tunes, music you can sing harmonies with - Jolie Holland, Gillian Welch, Elephant Revival, Anais Mitchell, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, and the old stuff, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel. I am a fan of contemporary, literary fiction & poetry. Some of my recent favorites are Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. I'm also a huge fan of John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Anais Nin, Allen Ginsberg, Diane DiPrima, Gary Snyder, Audre Lorde.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I guess this all depends on one's definition of "amazing," but one of the most amazing things I've seen recently was a lightning storm about 80 miles away that lit up the whole sky over the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United States