CURRENT MISSION

Living out my dream of meeting, seeing, experiencing different cultures and people.

ABOUT ME

I'm in Izmir - I'll have to read through the below info later and see if it requires an update. For now, if you want to meet for a coffee I have breaks most days 2-6:30, just send me a message!

I am a pretty happy and laid back person. I like to think I have a good sense of humor - I'm certainly not easily offended ;]

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to experience a variety of cultures and people - not just through travel, but to actually live within and be part of them. Didn't see how to make it possible and then POOF! the idea of teaching ESL took a seat in my brain last April, and life's awesomeness (which was already pretty good) shot up exponentially.

I love being alone in nature or a bit city. Talking with people or spending time in silence. I'm a big fan of walking, which is good, since I've recently discovered that I have no sense of direction once I enter a big city.

I love plants. I've studied herbalism.
I love the human body. I've studied yoga and some anatomy.
I love animals. (I don't eat them. And it is only because of a friend's story of ringworm that I manage to restrain myself from petting every kitten I see in China.)
I love the human spirit. Finally moving out of my home country has made this even more apparent. People are amazing!

PHILOSOPHY

There is nothing to be gained by not being nice.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am newly and fabulously available to participate in CS. I'd love to host and hope to surf over the school breaks.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None so far, but I am thoroughly enjoying all the people I have been able to meet since coming to China.

Interests

I love nature. Hiking, biking, yoga (I'm a yoga instructor when I live in places that speak English).

I love food (vegetarian as much as possible), though I'm not much of a cook. I do make a mean salad - which I realize does not actually involve cooking anything.

I enjoy gardening and herbalism, though those are on the back burner as I explore this exciting new life of Teaching English as a Second Language.

So now traveling is my greatest interest. When I'm not hanging out with my coworkers or students, doing some yoga, eating, walking or biking around town or campus, or watching a little English TV a la Netflix, I am researching where I'm going to go and where I might go after that.

• animals
• culture
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• vegetarian
• yoga
• running
• instructor
• walking
• gardening
• tv
• traveling
• drawing
• cycling
• hiking
• skiing
• anatomy

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh I am horrible at these lists. Largely because the part of my brain that remembers titles is apparently under-developed. So this is just a very small sampling of the entertainment I have enjoyed:

Books: Everything by Barbara Kingsolver and Christopher Moore,
To Kill a Mockingbird,
Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates,
What to Do When You are Engulfed in Flames,
Me Talk Pretty One Day,
and currently: Bossypants

Music: so much!
Thievery Corporation
Blakroc
Nina Simone
Portugal.The Man
Zap Mama
The Heavy
Atmosphere
The Black Keys
Fatboy Slim
Hank Williams III
a bunch of different kirtan and other yoga music
and more and more - I love most music!

Movies: This is where my memory really falls short
I like decent action films and all things with Bruce Willis (e.g. Lucky Number Sleven)
Also:
Little Miss Sunshine
What the Bleep do We Know?
Get Smart (with Steve Carell)
40 Year Old Virgin
hmmm most things with Steve Carell
Hotel Rwanda
Blood Diamond
Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Big Lebowski
Fargo
and so on
generally I'm not great at staying tuned for movies that are mostly dialogue, unless they have snappy dialogue like Thank You for Smoking.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'd left this blank because it's hard for me to single out a few experiences - I've been fortunate to experience so many beautiful, inspiring, hilarious, awesome things. But, CS is now requiring that I fill in all the blanks, so here are a couple: Tiger Leaping Gorge was incredible. Floating the McKenzie didn't take my breath away - it gave me more breath. Shanghai with it's lights and subways and culture and people is an amazing place to be.

Teach, Learn, Share

Do your outer hips feel sore from biking, walking, sitting, running, hiking, rollerblading, skiing, or . . ?
Sit on the edge of a chair with your feet directly under your knees and your back straight.
Place your right ankle on your left knee so that your right shin is (moving toward being) parallel with the floor.
Draw your right pinkie toe back (in the direction of your shin) to keep your knee safe.
If you don't already feel a stretch, begin to fold forward, keeping your back straight, so that your chest begins to come toward your right shin.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, France, Italy, Laos, Mexico, Switzerland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Turkey, United States