CURRENT MISSION

To understand my partner's point of view through HIS/HER eyes

ABOUT ME

Communication makes everything possible. Music, dance, drama, art, sports, sculpture, photography, and even smiles are also ways to communicate, but language is my life.

PHILOSOPHY

All truth is of a single essence- nothing that is true conflicts with other truth. How we understand things changes as our experiences inform us, so what might seem like a conflict is often our own misunderstanding. Remember the story of the blind men's first encounter with an elephant? So many people have so many answers that it's my goal to come up with more and better questions.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Teaching is my vocation and my avocation. After nearly 20 years in Hokkaido, I've learned a bit about this island and its people. Please come to me with any questions you might have about coming to visit here. Warning: Hokkaido is contagious!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Most of my contacts here are either already personal friends or long-time online chat partners. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people, so drop me a line!

Interests

Mountain hiking, jigsaw puzzles, comparative linguistics, developmental psychology, Japanese history, and writing.

• arts
• writing
• photography
• perfumes
• dancing
• puzzles
• music
• hiking
• sports
• history
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Dostoevsky (pretty much everything), Bulgakov (Master and Margarita, The Heart of a Dog), Kundera (Immortality, The Joke), Endou Shuusaku, any movies by Milos Foreman or Itami Juuzou, any orchestral music by Mahler, Prokofiev or Wagner

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sunrise from Mt Youtei in Hokkaido- a spiritual experience I recommend to anyone who can make the 3 hour hike.

Teach, Learn, Share

The beginning of wisdom is th recognition of how little I understand. I know I'll never finish learing all the Chinese ideographs used in Japanese (kanji), and historical research has no end. I'm always interested in finding others with an interest in Japanese language and history & I can direct new friends to other networks of people with similar interests.

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