CURRENT MISSION

Live as if you will die tomorrow. Learn as if you will live forever.

ABOUT ME

Early trips away from home gave me a glimpse of not only how vast and diverse life on this planet is, but also how much can be learned through experience (doing).

This is the first time (my current trip around the world) I've traveled on my own for more than a month. This trip, in part, is about finding out how I fit into this global, interconnected web called Life.

In the United States, I'm asked to vote, to put people into positions to make decisions, supposedly for the better, that affect whole communities and/or countries half a world away (basically I'm asked to affect people and places I know little or nothing about).

I do not know their full story or what they really need. At best, we, in the US, get what is filtered and simplified by media - and that's for the Americans that care.

Traveling is my way to clarify and expand my understanding of this world I'm being asked to affect, and how I fit into it..

PHILOSOPHY

"Until we let go of our capacity to judge, the world will not be ready for real community." - Malcolm Ringwalt

"Love includes all." - Adyashanti

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you." - Frank Lloyd Wright

"Slow down to see the world." - Butterfield and Robinson

Some other words to describe my values: honor boundaries, let your heart guide you, listen and laugh

I meditate twice a day, exercise each day and consider unprocessed food a godsend. (I need to avoid dairy, wheat, refined sugar, soy, oats and alcohol) Thank god raw chocolate is healthy!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

To really get to know a place and people, I think it necessary to live with and assist them. **Cooking is something I love to practice and share** However, I also have skills and experience with gardening, cleaning, driving, working with computers, and massage.

Some of what I have offered to other individuals and communities:

Childcare for St. John's Presbyterian Church
Cooking for Spirit Rock Buddhist Meditation Center
Cooking for the Earthdance Retreat Center
Most number of hours volunteered at Boy Scout Christmas tree lot (Piedmont, CA Council)
Reading Tutor at Lazear Elementary School for People of the Book Project through Temple Sinai (Oakland, CA)
Tutor for 826 Valencia in San Francisco (Dave Egger's flagship tutoring center)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been using CS on and off for almost three years as I travel round the world. Hosted in many countries, attended meetups in parks and late night bars. Used SOS more than once when I felt desperate. I don't like to use CS as some others have (I heard a person traveled around the world using CS for a year). Maybe it's just a rumor but I always aim to keep in mind that CS is a privilege, not a right. Thank you to all the people trusting enough to open their homes to meet someone new!

Interests

Life. No really.

I had a painful childhood due to what was labeled Attention Deficit Disorder. Finding meaning and joy in life became something of a personal passion. I went from seeing life as a grand trap or curse to a blessing. As consequence, everything intrigues me. Part of what drives me to travel is to embrace and explore treasures in the places and people that remain.

Someone recently asked, "Why are you traveling?"
Truth is: I don't fully know, I just know I need to. I've got some explanations, but what I just wrote is the simplest truth I can offer.

• arts
• books
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• exercise
• meditation
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• communications
• teaching
• science
• tourism
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Books
Glass Bead Game - Hesse
Ender's Game - Card
Mountain Light - Rowell
The Vision - Brown, Jr.

Movies
Jurassic Park (I was a Crichton fanatic growing up)
Forrest Gump (same could probably be said of Spielberg)
The Matrix (Storyline mixed with philosophy. Same reason I was hooked on Star Trek: Next Gen)
Good Will Hunting

Music
Anything I can dance to +
BT
George Winston
John Williams
Gabriela Montero +

Piano, harp, guitar, violin, bagpipe and BASS

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The scorpion on a stick in China tasted like a french fry. Very crunchy.

The tiny, transparent jellyfish in Bahamian waters with a nervous system that looked like colored christmas lights moving up its body totally caused me to fall in love with the ocean again.

Teach, Learn, Share

A 'How to Live' guide from the Transcendental Meditation movement's The Art of Living and Science of Being book:

Areas to cultivate, in order:

Being, Mind, Body, Environment

Then coordination between each, from left to right.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Canada, China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Switzerland, United States

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