CURRENT MISSION

Live lightly, learn, grow, give back.

ABOUT ME

Contemplative, a wanderer, interested in learning from people of different backgrounds, fond of learning bits and pieces of new languages, a chameleon of sorts (I tend to be game for anything and will take on new hobbies and affinities just by being immersed in them). Seeking work that is both meaningful and gives me a lifestyle which I can enjoy. Currently back in biotech industry. Figuring out how to live more responsibly. Finding that through travel, I learn so much from others. Hope to give back as much as I've been given!

PHILOSOPHY

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
This is quite a challenge to live by this quote, but attempt it I must. I'm beginning to develop my own philosophy on the meaning of work and time and life. I've decided to create my own definition of work. Versus the definition I had accepted in the past (a means to earn $ to pay for the basic needs of food, shelter, and water). So I've decided no matter the source of my income, I'm working for myself. Which also means, if I want to live by my values, I need to choose work that fits my values. If I choose to labor "for free" as a volunteer, I'm choosing to trade my time for the chance to learn and apply a new skill or be exposed to a new environment or community. If I labor for a government agency, it's because I believe in the mission that the agency supports.

On travel & friendships: I view life as a journey, and delight in having my path cross w/ those of others. While our paths parallel, we may share wonderful conversations and adventures and memories and laughs. And when the time comes, our paths may separate or even cross again. Regardless of the outcome, I'm grateful for the interactions.

"If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen."
Henry David Thoreau

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Living in San Francisco Bay area. Open to meeting up with surfers. Can't host at the moment b/c housemates are not open to hosting.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm pretty new to CS. But in 2010 while traveling through Canada, I've had the amazing good fortune to surf with 3 families and be immersed in their lives, learn their perspectives, and be part of their family! I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be more than just a passerby in my travels, and to meet really beautiful, warm people passionate about preserving the world for generations beyond our own!

Interests

Anything related to outdoors and nature: trail-running, backpacking, climbing. Reading. Conservation & ecological economics (learn more about the what you can do to promote a steady-state economy here: http://steadystate.org/discover/policies/
And in particular, read this chapter (I just found it and am digesting it this month!): capitalism3.com/files/Capitalism_3.0_Peter_Barnes.pdf
Cultural adventures. Spanish. Dancing. While in Canada, picking up some French.

• arts
• books
• sketching
• dancing
• ballet dancing
• environment
• dining
• running
• technology
• reading
• traveling
• drawing
• jazz
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• backpacking
• kayaking
• rock climbing
• swimming
• economics
• languages
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Some memorable movies: Princess Bride (as a great fairy tale), Stand by Me (as a wholesome come-of-age story); the Goonies (I'm a child of the 80s!); musicals (I grew up watching them).
Music: pretty much ALL genres, from classic rock like Pink Floyd to classical to blues to trance;
Books: most recent read: The Starship and the Canoe. I really admire the couple on Swanson Island! Devoid of the distractions of modern life, they are able to create so much! Also enjoy sci-fi like Red Mars and good non-fiction (most recent: Ecology, a pocketguide, by Ernest Callenbach). Personal development: Love Is Letting Go of Fear, by Gerald G. Jampolsky.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watch emerald, eery green whisps of the Northern Lights light up the Alaskan sky in summer of 1999. Watch a baby Southern Wright whale swim up so close to me to brush its dorsal fin against the bow of my kayak. Watch and hear a grizzly bear mom feed milk to two cubs in Denali National Park. Witness a 70+ year old Turkish man carry 4 loaded boxes tied w/ twine on his back

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach or share: odds and ends pertaining to molecular, drug development, recombinant DNA technology, Spanish, bits and pieces of various personal growth books that I've found to work for me as I journey through life. recently learning about permaculture and bike repair : )

Would like to learn: more Spanish; other languages; how to play ukulele; art (sketching or pastel drawing); dance (jazz/modern or ballet+jazz); how to establish and get going a Non-Profit; off-the-grid ways to fuel one's home; how to grow food; permaculture (full-cycle use of all our resources, from human waste to grey water).

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Philippines, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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