I am passionate about more things than I could possibly list here. Some of them include art (I come from a family of artists), travel (Latin America, Morocco, around the US), new kinds of food, my dog, my awesome friends and church community, and justice. I love trying new things: flamenco dance, jazz music, different art forms, travel... I was a teacher in the inner city for 8 years and am absolutely passionate about social justice and children who are underprivileged/oppressed/needy. The most important thing in my life is my Christian faith. Although I'm still a work in progress - as we all are - I do my best to love Jesus and my neighbor.

teaching, volunteering, trying to make a difference in the life of kids who need a difference made.

all described at tigerthegecko.blogspot.com I've been blogging about my teaching life - mostly in East Oakland - for five years and am very proud of my blog. I'm trying to share stories of kids who are usually ignored and not often valued.

Standing up for people who need help/are the victims of injustice. Teaching and reaching kids with different learning styles. Having opinions. Having fun and being funny!

Traveling, especially in Spanish-speaking countries.

Also finding typos and editing other people's mistakes.

I tend to be passionate, opinionated, and articulate about what I believe in or enjoy. Sometimes this gets me into trouble but often it helps me convey what I think is most important. When I was teaching in the inner city, this trait helped me get immense amounts of volunteers, supplies, field trips, etc. for the kids.

I read almost anything I can get my hands on. I love Anne Lamott, cheesy mysteries, novels set all over the world so I can escape for a little while, and more.

Food: Thai, Moroccan, Mexican, Japanese, Ethiopian... now I'm getting hungry...

* Jesus.
* my dog
* books
* a "next place" to travel
* my friends
* an Internet connection

injustice, God, love, family, friends, wealth and the lack thereof, anything I read about, travel, the list just goes on and on...

spending time with good friends.

I enjoy changing my hair color. Usually it stays pretty close to my natural shade but it's been blue a couple of times.