I was a public school teacher for many years and recently went back to graduate school to become an occupational therapist. I now work again in the schools, which I love! It also allows me to travel during my summers off :) I am a curious person who is always learning new things. I try to spend my life doing things that are meaningful to me and that I love-namely spending time with friends/family/my dog, hiking/camping/being in nature, listening/dancing to live music, reading, and writing. I'm pretty easy going and try to live life at a slower pace-to really enjoy what I'm experiencing in the moment. I much prefer to meet people in person than to communicate electronically-so hopefully this electronic source (CS) will lead to meeting real life friendly people!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It was harder for me to travel raising my son on my own, but now that he is thriving as an adult in his own right, I want to spend as much time as I can traveling! My first goal is to become fluent in Spanish and spend this summer and as many summers as it takes in Spanish speaking countries to reach this goal. After that, we will see! I love meeting people from other cultures and learning about how they see the world. For me, that is a huge part of why I travel, not just to see "the sights." I hope that Couchsurfing will allow me to meet wonderful people wherever I travel, some of whom can hopefully become friends. I'm also looking to meet people from all over the world here in Austin and would love to share why I love Austin and chose to make it my home. I'd also like to meet some great fellow Austinites!

Interests

• writing
• dancing
• cooking
• reading
• live music
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all sorts of music: blues, all sorts of rock (egs classic, indie, punk), honky tonk, outlaw country, jazz, salsa, samba, bossa nova, bachata, merengue, cumbia, etc. I haven't met many genres I don't like, but I'm pretty picky within the genres. Here are some of my favorite authors:
Philip K. Dick
Faulkner
Dostoyevsky
Willa cather
Sherwood anderson
Harper lee
Haruki murakami
Robert musil
Ralph ellison
Jorge luis borges
Joseph heller
Kurt vonnegut
Sophocles
Gogol
Bulgakov
Hilary mantel
Tolkien
Lucia berlin
Ottessa Moshfegh

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Raised a loving, thoughtful, creative, hard working son on my own. (Of course, I am a *bit* biased ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach strategies for adult learning, for body mechanics, for executive functioning, sensory processing, some cooking recipes, how to two-step (a dance popular in Austin), where to find awesome live music, delicious food/drink, and great hikes are in Austin. I would love to learn Spanish, new types of dancing, music, cultural insights, great hikes around the world, anything someone is passionate about!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am happy to help out around the house, cook or take the host out for meals. I'm happy to do a language learning exchange. I appreciate a host taking me into their home or showing me around their city-this takes a lot of trust! I can be very quiet, independent, and keep to myself if that's what they need or I can be very engaging and hangout with the host if they would like. I'm in their home/city, so whatever they prefer, goes! I'm just grateful to meet new people, experience other cultures, and for any hospitality offered!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States