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Overview

  • 46 references 6 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in English; learning German, Slovene, Spanish
  • 37, Female
  • Member since 2007
  • nanny
  • I spent two years in college to find that it really wasn'...
  • From Oregon, US
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

CURRENT MISSION

Live more shamelessly!

ABOUT ME

I have an unquenchable passion for life! I'm a restless spirit who is just itching to get up and go everywhere! I'm friendly, talkative, and easy to get along with. I like to think I'm pretty easy-going and just take life as it comes. I love people and all they have to share in their experiences and just hope I can share what I have with them.

I work as an aupair in Bahrain, but my dream job (at the moment, anyways...) is to teach english somewhere far away. I think it would be a really great way to see another part of the world and get integrated into the local culture, even if I think that the whole "American teaching English abroad" thing is slightly imperialistic... yay internal conflict! :)

PHILOSOPHY

Say Yes more than No

Be someone that YOU respect. In the end, your opinion matters most.

"Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little." --Tom Stoppard

"I hope you make the best of it [life]. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

"All my life, I've been good but now I'm thinking 'What the hell!'"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Right now, I live with the family I work for, so I'm not super able to host. I guess the biggest way I participate in CS, besides meetups, is spreading the word. I tell all my friends about CS, bring them to meetups, and generally try to dispel the misconceptions about meeting strangers as friends :)

In the past, while working there as an aupair there, I tried my hand at organizing one of the weekly language exchange meetups in Barcelona and Madrid. It was a challenge at times, but also lots of fun! I also try to go to as many international meetups and gatherings as I can.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I got a taste of what CS is really about: community. I have been lucky enough to attend a number of trips/events/meetups in several different countries and have met some of the most kind, generous, and interesting people. It'll sound cliche, but CS has definitely changed my life! :)

Interests

One of my friends said of me recently that I just don't fit into boxes. And I loved that! I'm open to doing a lot of different activities mainly so that I can say that I lead a fully-lived life. If nothing else, trying new things lets you see into someone else's life and broadens your understanding, which is never a bad thing!

I love to do "hermit" things like reading, writing, watching movies, knitting, and just chillin'. I have a social side, too, though! I enjoy golfing, chatting, shopping, and just exploring with friends.

  • culture
  • writing
  • pub crawls
  • shopping
  • movies
  • reading
  • socializing
  • crochet
  • knitting
  • backpacking
  • canoeing
  • languages
  • religion
  • language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

movies: I love chick flicks and horror movies! lol. I'm also a documentary fan.

music: i just love music! one of the things I look forward to most in my future travels is hearing local music. Right now I'm really into anti-folk with singers like Regina Spektor, The Weepies, Lenka, Priscilla Ahn, Ingrid Michaelson, Jaymay, and the list goes on and on. I listen to a lot of contemporary Christian, grew up listening to country, an can appreciate pop and hip-hop when it's not just too much. I'm not crazy about contemporary jazz, but I love swing-era jazz!

books: I'm a Harry Potter nerd... In fact, I like to think that this is the one nerdy thing about me. I'm not "dress up for the movie openings" nerdy, but lets just say I've read through the series several times... :D I love to read and really enjoyed "Running with Scissors" and "The Nanny Diaries". I like everything written by Sophie Kinsella and most things by Dan Brown. I like to go to the library and pick books off the shelf at random. I've picked a few duds this way, but also a surprising number of winners!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I slept in a park in Podgorica when my train from Belgrade was delayed by two hours. Because I'm far too "by the seat of my pants" for my own good, I had no info about the hostel in town, very little money, and fewer options. So I hopped a fence, stashed my backpack in a plastic house, and stayed in a little playground area for the night.

More recently, something really amazing happened to me through CS. I went on a canoe trip in Hungary with a group of CSers and my wallet was stollen at a pub. When we got back to the city, I needed some coins to get my backpack out of the locker (after a week) and made a little plea to the group for any spare change they might have. The response really touched my heart; everyone chipped in and I had way more than I even needed. I was humbled and very grateful! :)

Honestly, though, I have stories for days! ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: um... well, I can teach new friends about crafting (knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, sewing, etc.) and about various (western) religions. I also have a pretty firm grasp on the English language... lol

Learn: whatever you have to teach! If I ever wanted to be independently wealthy, it would be so that I could just spend my time collecting hobbies. I have a whole list of seemingly useless things I'd like to learn just so that I can say that I know how to do them. I also want to learn a handful of languages so that I can talk to people pretty much anywhere. Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Swahili, and Russian are among the biggies. :)

Share: I think the idea of living on a commune is really fascinating! Money is just money and stuff is just stuff; people are what's important! I'd share everything I have if asked.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Bahrain, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, United States

Old School Badges

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