I love adventure, spontaneity, new discoveries, and learning. Traveling lights me up - visiting shamans in Ecuador, researching the impact of aid in Guatemala, teaching English in Uzbekistan, anything that really gets me into the culture. Another part of me loves to be "home" - connecting with family and close friends, cuddling up with a good book, playing with the dog (supposing I had a dog).

In my free time (ha ha) I like to play Celtic fiddle, practice Aikido, visit family and friends, and enjoy the great outdoors (hiking, biking, kayaking, etc.) My sister has two cute kids who I get to play with sometimes too.

Right now I'm working towards a masters in International Development and Social Change. If you know what that is, that's better than 90% of the people I talk to! Basically we look at problems facing people in developing countries (poverty, disease, environmental issues, etc.), analyze why mainstream efforts such as bilateral aid and World Bank loans haven't worked very well, and try to identify better solutions.

Before going back to university I was a teacher. I loved working with kids; my school was especially interesting because nearly half the population came from other parts of the world.

Playing the fiddle, and taking standardized tests. Random, but true.

On a more personal level, I tend to see the good in people and rarely hold grudges.

Books: The paradox of graduate school is that I read for 6-8 hours a day yet have no time anymore for pleasure reading! Thankfully some of my school reading has been pretty interesting: A Game as Old as Empire, 50 Years is Enough, AIDS & Accusation, Overthrow. Other favorites include Kite Runner, A Fine Balance, Rain of Gold, Wild Steps of Heaven, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Freakonomics, Deep Economy, Three Cups of Tea, Blink, Monkeys are Made of Chocolate, Eat, Pray, Love, Confessions of an Economic Hitman, and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

Movies: I enjoy films that make me think or laugh, and don't enjoy those that are terribly sad, violent, or scary. I haven't actually seen a lot of movies (not sure why not). I just saw Ghostbusters for the first time. It was funny.

Music: I love pretty much anything upbeat. These days it's mostly Latin music (Bacilos, Juanes, etc.) and traditional Celtic tunes (that's what I play).

Food: Thai and Indian foods are two of my favorites, but I like most things made from healthy ingredients (except shellfish or feta cheese).

the outdoors (trees, mountains, rivers, etc.)
my family
a positive attitude
sleep
music
clean air and water

my thesis

finishing my work and sleeping. But Saturday night, that's much more interesting! The past four Saturday nights, I attended a marching band reunion, went to a dinner at my Aikido dojo and was entertained by Taiko drummers, visited friends in Chicago, and went salsa dancing in Cambridge.

Though I'm a huge advocate of gender equality in daily life, I like the guy to take the lead in the private realm.

you want to. You get bonus points if you smile a lot, have lived abroad (or would like to), like dogs, and have an adventurous streak.