Hope

United States
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Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
My next destination:
India - from Mar 2026 until Jul 2026
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Description
Sometimes I ask people to use my Tupperware or reusable cutlery if I try to buy food on the street. Often, they act shocked or insulted. The response is usually: "I have a plastic cup/spoon." This ice cream seller once replied, "it's fine for you, but it's not you, it's the transnational corporations. The emissions on air travel from the U.S. alone..." I said I know, but it's not the only thing I'm doing because I'm an activist, and at least it keeps the plastic out of the landfill and saves the money spent on it. He said the corporations don't like activists, and he made the gesture for money 💰🤑 Yes, he's right.

I'm not sure why I argue because I agree. The fascists are winning. Still, I guess it just makes sense to me to try not to endorse it or expedite it. I strategically choose which sacrifices to make, and which are outweighed somewhere else. I like dumpster diving for my stuff, thrift shopping, repurposing, repairing, reusing, etc. I like trying to be conscious. If everyone tried except for the corporations, it wouldn't save us, but it would be more of the world I want to live in. Since I have been fighting major human rights and social justice issues ever since I was a kid, I value working with my hands and doing tangible things (like taking care of sick dogs and growing traditional plants) because I can see the impact directly on an interpersonal not international level. If I can make someone feel better or something good grow stronger, then I feel a responsibility to try, and it makes me happy too.
Interests
Performing arts
Events & social
Self development
Pets
Sustainability
LGBTQ
Politics / Social justice
Books
Gardening
Writing
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Camping
Sailing / Boating
Mountain
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Chinese (Mandarin): Beginner
More details about my language interests
I have taught English before, but I would be interested in learning more Spanish or maybe Hindi.
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
I'm interested in:
Art Projects
General Maintenance
Some knowledge of:
Charity Work
Eco Projects
Being an elderly companion
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Life at a Farmstay
Helping around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
Able to teach about:
Languages
Teaching
Animal Care
House & pet sitting
More details about your skills
I am a journalist and human rights activist with a master's in public policy and graduate level coursework in mental health counseling. I have training in psychological support and crisis response at large events like festivals, facilitation, teaching yoga (could not teach now due to my foot), and summer camp teaching. I have held some jobs in p.r. for magazines and newspapers focusing on tourism.

I have a hobby of learning about plants ever since I took some horticultural classes in high school. I especially like mushrooms, medicinal plants, and culinary plants. I was so excited when I found a Chicken of the Woods mushroom fallen from a tree in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It was so big that it took me six hours to fry it.

I took care of my childhood dog as she died of cancer when I was 18, and it changed my life. Now, I have taken care of many sick, geriatric, and special needs animals, and fostered some rescues. I have a specialty in hospice cases, since those are hard and meaningful, but I love healthy animals too.

I can spin fire, but I do not have equipment right now.

Doing dishes can be meditative for me, and I think I am pretty good at it.
Age
32
What else ...
I have a Substack where I do political analysis and commentary. It is called "The Tao of Hope."
I pay artists for political art and sticker designs, print them, and spread them around the world.
I have a developed taste for craft beer, and have developed a palate for whiskey, cognac, and brandy. I do not drink regularly, but I know a lot about it and like tours of small distilleries.
I have a developed taste for coffee and chocolate.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
- Special dietary requirements

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20 Mar 2026

Left by Workawayer () for host (Learn about sustainable ...)

Unfortunately, I have to be honest about this place. I came for my first workaway because of the good reviews, but I had to leave after three days because it was so toxic, unsafe, and unsanitary. Ashlesha had told me they have sanitation issues, but that was quite the understatement. I got food poisoning after the first day, since the kitchen,… read more sponges, and everything is unsanitary. We are talking spills everywhere, little piles of dirt and dust, rotting fish heads left out for the cats and covered in insects, mold and fungus, and so much evaporated cat piss in my room that my entire backpack and everything in it smells. I am having to hand wash all of my stuff now, and scrub it, and I am not sure it's even fixable. It also took me almost two hours to deep clean the bathroom, in which she doesn't even put hand soap, due to the mold, dust, spider webs, hair, dirt, stains, etc. They don't even offer clean water, which she lied she had explained when she didn't, and have no filter.

What's worse, Ashlesha appears to be abusive both to her elderly parents and to volunteers. I saw her screaming at her elderly father apparently over demands about his work, and the poor man shut down until she walked away and disappeared the rest of the day (appearing to waste the work he did by letting the plants wilt in the sun). #redacted# No wonder they can't handle the necessary cleaning with hours and hours of peeling, cutting, drying tumeric, etc.

She also lied to me about the workload, and was quite manipulative using standard tactics like gaslighting, blame shifting, guilting, etc. She insisted her mom needed a collander of peeled tumeric a day, and lied that her mom could do it in an hour and half (as though I wasn't working fast enough), but she was busy watering the coconuts (which she said volunteers usually do to guilt me that her mom was doing my job) since I had asked for sitting tasks in advance due to a foot injury. It took several hours by myself, and 2.5 hours sitting with her mom both peeling at the same speed, to fill the collander. That first day, I worked 10 instead of the maximum five hours workaway allows, and it was awful. It was a tense comisseration with the elderly folks, and so tragic to experience the dynamic.

Ashlesha was complaining she needs more volunteers (who seem to have a high turnover and probably just don't leave feedback), but clearly has no regard for volunteers' well-being, comfort, or learning. She seems to be unable to deal with her elderly parents and her project, so she just offloads them (they don't speak much English) and her emotions onto volunteers. The parents were lovely, and really do need help to meet her demands, so it felt very tragic and toxic. I hesitated to leave out of pity, but I have to keep myself safe. I think others need to know this is not a viable project, or a safe environment, and putting your time and sweat into it will probably just enable a bad host and leave you needing to recover from food poisoning, back pain, and stress.

(Negative)