Interests/Activities

I wear many hats, so I created this page to give a more complete picture of who I am and what I'm about. Here are some assorted tidbits about me, my various projects, interests, and activities.

CircleOurEarth.com & World Travel Tips

I created a travel Web site called CircleOurEarth.com. The site started as way for me to chronicle my adventures traveling around the world, but it eventually morphed into a larger project. I'm still figuring out what direction I want to take with it, but it has a lot of information about international travel.

Hosting & Assisting Travelers
(Couchsurfing, Airbnb, AIESEC, Hostelling International Austin)

I'm an active member of Couchsurfing.org and Airbnb. I frequently host travelers, help them with onward travel plans, and show them fun things to do in Austin. I have also couchsurfed around the world and met many amazing people who I probably wouldn't have crossed paths with otherwise.

As an occasional volunteer for the Austin chapter of Hostelling International, I gave presentations aimed at promoting cultural understanding and inspiring young people to travel.

In college, I was involved in AIESEC, an international non-profit organization that assists students in finding professional internships abroad. I also attended business training programs, cultural awareness workshops, leadership development conferences, and met with international students living in Austin to help them adapting to life in the United States.

Vegetable Gardening

I used to be intimidated by gardening, but now it has become a huge passion of mine. There's nothing more satisfying than planting seeds and learning how to nurture them so that they grow into big, beautiful plants. Growing my own vegetables gives me a greater appreciation for my food and it makes me feel more in tune with my surroundings.

I'm definitely not a gardening expert, but I enjoy trying new things each season and learning as I go along. I didn't do the best job of documenting, but here and here are some photos of my past few gardens.

International Cooking Classes, Food Blogs & Social Events

I have taken cooking classes in Central, Southeast, and Western Asia, participated in an Israeli cooking show about May Kaidee's Vegetarian Cooking School, and created meals with the Iceland chapter of Food Not Bombs (a worldwide volunteer organization dedicated to sharing free vegetarian meals with the public).

I also taught several vegetarian travel classes at REI in Austin, TX, wrote two articles with vegan travel tips for Ashland Creek Press, I occasionally write reviews of vegetarian-friendly travel products, and I'm always documenting my experimental cooking endeavors.

My partner, Miguel, and I delivered freshly-prepared lunch meals to my coworkers every Monday for about a year. We created a web site, Team Feed Everyone, where we posted the weekly menu and people could place their order.

We also host frequent potlucks that are open to friends, family, and the greater Austin community. The potlucks always have an interesting theme and they are a fun way to show people just how varied and flavorful a vegan diet can be. I created a potluck blog so attendees can receive updates when new events are posted. And my potlucks have gathered a large group of regular attendees, many of whom found out about the event through search queries or word of mouth.

Living Sustainably

Calling me a "tree hugger" may be an appropriate description. I support sustainable living, I respect nature, I am very interested in alternative ways of living and consuming, and I strive to be more self-reliant and educated with practical knowledge.

Animal Adoptions & Fundraisers

My roommates and I adopted a Rottweiller named "Spring" and entered him in the My Pet My Pal Dog Photo Contest sponsored by Lassie Natural Way. Spring was one of the two semi-finalists and won a year's supply of dog food. As a result of several press releases about the photo contest, Spring even got a small blurb on the second page of The Austin American Statesman - right underneath a story about Melissa Etheridge. :)

When I can, I help stray cats find loving, permanent homes, and take animals to Emancipet's spay/neuter mobile clinic. I've taken many injured animals to the vet (including several birds, mice, and a guinea hen), and I led a successful fundraising campaign to pay for a kitten's surgery.

Volunteering

I love to get involved in communities by volunteering (whether I'm in my hometown or away traveling).

I've volunteered at an orphanage in Cambodia, a children's craft workshop in Thailand, a small school at the Melawar Palm Oil Plantation in Borneo, and at various organizations in India (such as the Dharavi Project, Gramshree, Sambhali Trust, Food For Life, HelpAge India)

In Austin, I spent two years as a volunteer ESL teacher for an organization called Literacy Austin. I assisted a small group of adults (from Mexico, Thailand, Morocco, Guinea, and China) in improving their English skills.

I've taught numerous plastic bag crochet and waste recycling workshops (full list of events here), and I'm
a regular volunteer for Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary in Dripping Springs (I photograph adoptable animals, assist at fundraising events, and take ridiculous photos of animals sitting on Santa Claus's lap).

Collaborative Events
(I'll try anything once...or twice)

I rappelled in two productions with an areal dance company called Blue Lapis Light. I performed in the reprise of Requiem, a popular production held at the old Intel building, and Angels in Our Midst, a First Night celebration at the Radisson Hotel.

I participated in a Toyota Prius Commercial, which involved collaborating with local artists to cover a Toyota Prius in knitted and crocheted material. Here's a link to the video: Toyota Prius Projects: Prius Cozy. I'm the one in the red hoodie!

I participated in the Austin Gorilla Run twice, a 5K race that benefits the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.

I participated in two flash mobs - one was a giant pillow fight at Auditorium Shores in Austin. The other one was a choreographed dance to celebrate a company's 18th anniversary.

I was the only non-Polish member of a Polish folk dancing troupe.

BagsBeGone.com, Recycled Waste Workshops, and Crochet Activities

I created a site, BagsBeGone.com, dedicated to recycling single use plastic bags into durable, reusable, functional items. I use it as a platform for displaying my work, posting tutorials, and highlighting other individuals and organizations doing interesting things with recycled plastic.

I've taught numerous plastic bag workshops at events in Austin (including the 2007 MakerFaire) and abroad (in places such as Thailand, Iceland, and India).
A complete list of events I participated in can be viewed here.

I created a plastic bag top hat for The Hat Museum in Portland, Oregon, a crocheted Lucha Libre costume out of yarn scraps, a bench and a floor mat out of recycled bicycle tubes, and I have plans to make a hammock out of six pack rings.

I participated in The Blanton Museum of Art’s Knitted Wonderland project, where 99 trees were covered in works of yarn. This was a community knitting project inspired by Magda Sayeg, founder of Knitta Please. It was held in conjunction with The Blanton’s Textile Installation and the University of Texas’ annual open house, Explore UT.

I contributed a breast for the Something in the Water exhibit, an eco-art project that involved crocheting used plastic bags into breast shapes. The project aimed to highlight our dependency on plastic bags and their contribution to the toxins in our water (that is then passed on to infants through mothers’ breast milk). The project was displayed in an art exhibition about water on May 2011 at the American Jewish Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.