CURRENT MISSION

I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list.

ABOUT ME

I studied dance and anthropology in college. I'd love to somehow combine the two and make that my life's work. Ambitions: United Nations, National Geographic, Travel Channel, other organizations promoting peaceful interaction and cross-cultural understanding.

When I travel, I try to understand the locals' thinking, observe their customs. Without authenticity, traveling is like counterfeit money. It has no value.

I'm a vegetarian, but I eat mostly vegan. :)

I love ... dancing (flamenco, belly dancing, ballet, modern), singing, traveling, laughing, imagining, exploring, learning new languages, nature, beaches, bike riding, hiking, secondhand clothes shopping, healthy eating, cooking.

PHILOSOPHY

If there is light in the soul,
there is beauty in the person;
If there is beauty in the person,
there will be harmony in the house;
If there is harmony in the house,
there will be order in the nation;
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.

There are so many things I want to do, so many things I want to see, and I never for a moment think that it can never all happen. I embrace life and all the opportunities it presents. I am an optimist; I see the good in people and the world. World peace...even though it's completely idealistic, I want to see an end to violence and oppression, racism, and ignorance.

Interests

Manyyyyy and varied!

• books
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• coffee
• vegetarian
• exercise
• cycling
• hiking
• tennis
• anthropology
• languages
• volunteering
• beaches
• tea

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC: It's everything to me; I need it. I like anything and everything; my iPod Classic is a kaleidoscope of songs!
MOVIES: Slumdog Millionaire, The Namesake, Apocalypto, Love & Other Drugs, The Pursuit of "Happyness," Hotel Rwanda, Gladiator, City Island, Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge, Casablanca, Across the Universe, Avatar, Babel, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Notebook, Black Swan, Memoirs of a Geisha, A Little Princess, The Wizard of Oz, Totoro, Pocahontas
YOUTUBE CLIP: Where The Hell Is Matt (2008)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY
BOOKS: Stargirl, The Giver, The Namesake, Eat Pray Love, The Rough Face Girl (a children's book, an Algonquin Indian version of Cinderella)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I saw Petra by Night with a beautiful view of the Treasury from atop a nearby cliff, courtesy of a friendly Bedouin I'd recently met, who led me to the hangout to enjoy the ceremony with some of his friends.

Teach, Learn, Share

*I love quotes! I keep a little quote book and love to flip through it every so often.

It's easier to put on slippers that to carpet the whole world.

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.

You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
- Gandhi

There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.

A child only educated at school is an uneducated child.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep...
- Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

What I Can Share with Hosts

My eyes and ears

Countries I’ve Visited

Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Greece, United States