CURRENT MISSION

not to just talk about doing things but to actually DO them

ABOUT ME

I have heard that 'tourists pass through a place while pilgrims let the place pass through them'. I consider myself a "cultural pilgrim" in that regard.

PHILOSOPHY

I have read many things; saw many things; felt many things; thought many things...overall these words have resonated with me...

You must be the change you want to see in the world - Gandhi

...there is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth. - Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Through weekly meetings, hosting, and surfing.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Met, travelled, and surfed with really amazing people. Looking forward to having more great experiences! As soon as its possible, I will start hosting again :-)

Interests

Exploring, whether physical spaces or ideas; words;
music that moves me, physically and emotionally;
meeting interesting people; learning about different cultures; expanding my worldview; finding new adventures and unique experiences

• dancing
• tango
• dining
• cooking
• running
• music
• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies, music and books..definitely in the top 5 list of things that move and inspire me; that I am passionate about. As such, the lists are long and ever so changing but a huge commonality is eclecticism.

Current CDs/artists are Ethiopiques (Ethiopian Groove), Otros Aires, Chet Baker, Nina Simone, Manu Chao...

Non-fiction/fiction books include Marjane Satrapi 'The Complete Persepolis', Dionne Brand 'A Map to the Door of No Return', Taher Ben Jelloun ' The Sand Child', Gilbert Ryle 'Dilemmas', 'Witness to My Life: The Letters of Jean-Paul Sartre to Simone de Beauvoir' Thomas King 'The Truth about Stories'

Too many movies to list but I look for cinematography and dialogue so beautifully shot films and 'talking' movies...also love foreign films and documentaries

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Most amazing thing to me was spending almost a year in some obscure place in Africa where about 99% of the global population has not heard of.

No electricity; no running water; no English at all. We would hitchhike to the nearest village in hopes of procuring a radio (Thank God for the BBC)..never thought I would miss hearing English.

Part of the time I was staying with nomads..hmm...I can put the skill of dismantling a hut on my resume now. Honestly, I learned a lot of things about myself, capabilities, limitations etc and had a new found appreciation for what I considered mundane before like ice cold water

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: write/speak English, cook Ethiopian food, how to row, dance Argentine tango

Learn: everything, anything

Share: good times and laughter, any knowledge, experiences etc...in short, pretty much everything

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahrain, Belgium, Cabo Verde, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Indonesia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, United States

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