CURRENT MISSION

To make new friends, and help others.

ABOUT ME

Hosting people is a rare pleasure! If you are so kind and decide to host me please know that:

- I will read in advance your profile many times and so will know what bothers you and what doesn't, so I will do my best to avoid the things that you dislike.
- I will adapt myself to your lifestyle.
- I will use as little water and electricity as possible (eg, one shower/day, 2-3 minutes)
- I will leave your home when you do, and I will come back at the time you want me to.
- I can help you to do anything (work home, cleaning home, helping in something).
- I will be glad to cook for you some interesting dish (only if you want me to).
- I will clean the bathroom after using it, and I will respect any rule you have.
- I don't smoke, drink or do drugs
- I'm thoughtful, pleasant to be around, and interested in you.
- And of course, I will thank you!

PHILOSOPHY

In major religions like Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and in the Muslim worlds, hosting is considered an honor, and a moral obligation: according to the Koran if your enemy shows up at your door, you owe it to him to treat him with utmost respect and hospitality... in Iran, for example, even if the hosts are very poor, they will borrow money to present their guests with great food and a good stay. Some countries that are considered poor, lack in infrastructure, but impress in culture, warmth, character and hospitality. In the Bible there is a verse that states "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13-2). Paul writes, 'Practice hospitality' (Romans 12:13 NIV). Peter says, 'Be hospitable...with brotherly affection for...unknown guests...foreigners, the poor, and all others' (1 Peter 4:9 AMP). In Hinduism, "atithi devo bhava" means "a guest is like a God". May I meet you, and may we give each other the boldness to be all that we were meant to be.

Great quotes about travel:

We need to travel. If we don't offer ourselves to the unknown, our senses dull. Our world becomes small and we lose our sense of wonder. Our eyes don't lift to the horizon; our ears don't hear the sounds around us. The edge is off our experience, and we pass our days in a routine that is both comfortable and limiting. We wake up one day and find we have lost our dreams in order to protect our days. Don't let yourself become one of these people. The fear of the unknown and the lure of the comfortable will conspire to keep you from taking the chances the traveler has to take. But if you take them, you will never regret your choice. To be sure, there will be moments of doubt when you stand alone on an empty road in an icy rain, or when you are ill with fever in a rented bed. But as the pains of the moment will come, so too will they fall away. In the end, you will be so much richer, so much stronger, so much clearer, so much happier, and so much better a person that all the risk and hardship will seem like nothing compared to the knowledge you have gained. (Letters to My Son: A Father's Wisdom on Manhood, Women, Life and Love)

The perfect traveler doesn't know his destination (Lie Tzeu)

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. (Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad)

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him where it wants. (Lao-Tzu)

Traveling companions can keep us tethered to our predefined idea of ourselves. They may expect certain reactions from us that obligates us underneath our awareness forces us to accommodate in a way that feels unnatural. Or in our companions desire to have their own experiences, they may not have the patience to reciprocate and share. In traveling alone we are free to connect with what and whom comes our way... The silence of being alone without the ease of familiarity allows one to stand outside oneself large sublime views and new smells revealing new thoughts and emotions thrilling or disappointing aspects of oneself heretofore hidden from one awareness. If we find poetry in tattered old men weaving home on bicycles, a grateful charm in smiling young country girls and a shared intimacy in the look of recognition in the eyes of kindred travelers we have found an alternative to the ease, habits and confinement of the ordinary rooted world. (Alain de Botton, in The Art of Travel)

One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. (A. Gide)

If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you. (Elizabeth Gilbert)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

When I host: You will have you your own room, clean sheets and towels. I don't smoke, drink or do drugs, and I will show you around if my schedule permits it.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm interested in meeting people with who I can have a lasting, respectful and supportive relationship. I choose my hosts and guests carefully, and I consider CSing a way of enlarging my group of friends.

Interests

Interests: I love mountains, outdoor sports, and volunteering.

• cats
• arts
• culture
• writing
• poetry
• architecture
• documentaries
• coloring
• human rights
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• drinking
• flowers
• traveling
• socializing
• alpinism
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• christian
• sports
• rock climbing
• teaching
• engineering
• history
• law
• logic
• nursing
• hitchhiking
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I enjoyed: Her, Blue, The King of Hearts, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Run, Lola, Run, My Cousin Vinny, Groundhog Day, Shawshank Redemption, The Hunger (with Susan Sarandon and David Bowie), Forrest Gump. Music: Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, U2, The Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel, Carmina Burana, and ... silence! Books: The Unbearable Lightness of Being (better than the movie); Eat. Pray. Love. The wind in the Willows. Song of Myself.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I used to make a living by interviewing and making documentaries about ordinary people and their legacies. Currently I work as a family counselor in US military bases worldwide, and often I am able to witness and help others do great things.

Other amazing things I've seen: The July light in Lofoten, Norway. Tenderness between species. The memory of my mother's smile. My reflection in someone I love; My exhausted cat humbly licking my hand, after I petted her one-hour old born kittens. Years later, the first born kitten, an adult cat then, sat on my shoulder and watched over me while I was being grieved to death with my mother's death, while I was also isolated from the world for weeks. The memory of the two of us looking at autumn golden leaves blown by the wind on a sunny afternoon. Generosity toward strangers. Dignity and courage in front of death. Her last embrace before dying after not being able to speak for 6 weeks.

Teach, Learn, Share

Great travel sites:

http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/five-tips-for-packing-it-all-in-carry-on-bag.html?id=12390398&fb_comment_id=fbc_10151026270779499_23840489_10151032425464499#f1015ef8b6e4df8

http://www.wisebread.com/travel-resources

http://t.ted.com/qRFGjhe

Here is some great advice to fight jet-leg:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sleep-on-plane-tips_55d5dbf6e4b07addcb45a1d9?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

And, along with it, whether you are a woman traveling solo or not, some good advice:

http://www.women-on-the-road.com/index.html

What I Can Share with Hosts

When I host: you will have your own room, clean towels, pillows, sheets and blankets. I will provide food and gladly show you around if my schedule permits it, but I can only do over weekends.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Germany, Italy, Romania, United States

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