Marisa

Travel information

I am currently

Description

My name is Marisa, I'm originally from New Jersey, and I am a Philosophy instructor at a college in California!

The two loves of my life are academic philosophy and travel. When I'm not teaching or researching, I'm planning trips to national parks in California and surfing Workaway. Prior to starting my Master's, I spent a magical year in Southeast Asia, teaching, volunteering, learning about permaculture, and seeing as many things as possible. This experience taught me independence, patience, courage, and humility; and it whet my desire to see as much of the world as possible. After I finished my Master's, I did a housesitting Workaway in Costa Rica and it was amazing!!

Because modern life in a capitalist world makes it so challenging to take care of my mind and body, it has become my number one priority. Over the course of the last five years, I have been doing yoga three days a week and begun learning how to cook healthy meals. I especially enjoy the challenge of vegan cooking and trying recipes from around the world (I make mean Thai and Indian curries!) I would like to start meditating outside my yoga practice, keeping a gratitude journal, practicing loving-kindness with greater intention, and being more mindful about my use of technology for entertainment. I would love to be surrounded by people with similar interests who'd be willing to share their experience.

My primary Workaway goals are to challenge myself, learn some new skills, meet new people, and share in some wonderful new experiences with them. I'm also very eager to share my love of philosophy with anyone who is interested.

Interests

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate

More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

Being an elderly companion

General Maintenance

Eco Projects

Hospitality/Tourism

Art Projects

Teaching

---

Some knowledge of:  

Babysitting and creative play

Creating/ Cooking family meals

Life at a Farmstay

Helping around the house

Animal Care

Charity Work

---

Able to teach about:  

Languages

More details about your skills

General:

--Work ethic: I'm a hard worker who likes to take time to do things right.
--Communication skills: I consider open and honest communication a skill that is always in the process of acquisition.
--Organizational skills: I can manage my time well and pay attention to detail when cleaning or organizing things
(which is one of my favorite things to do!)
Critical Thinking skills: Being able to think critically is the source of my creativity, my problem solving skills, and my overall flourishing as a human being.
--Compassion: My favorite philosopher considers compassion the only morally valuable incentive because it is evidence of the truth that the individual is an illusion, that we are all one, and the suffering of another is your suffering as well.


Volunteer:

--Teacher's Assistant at Astor Head Start (Poughkeepsie, NY)
--Teacher's Assistant as Holy Trinity School (Poughkeepsie, NY)
--ESL Tutor for Adults at a language center (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
--ESL Teacher at a Montessori pre-school (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Work Experience:

--Philosophy Instructor
--Research Assistant at Georgia State University
--Online ESL teacher
--ESL high school teacher (in Thailand)
--Editorial intern for two publishing houses
--Camp counselor
--Hostess at a diner
--Babysitter

Age

29

What else ...

I love to read poetry, fiction, and philosophy. My favorite contemporary fiction authors are Tom Robbins, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Jonot Diaz and my favorite classic is probably Atlas Shrugged. I've also been enjoying the poems of Rumi lately. In the past I've enjoyed reading social and political philosophy, namely feminist philosophy (I highly recommend Kate Manne's "Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny"), but I would like to read more critical race theory. My current work centers on some feisty 19th century German philosophers, particularly a little known pessimist by the name of Schopenhauer and his far better known successor and overlooked optimist, Nietzsche.

Also, I love animals!

Some more information

• 

  Smoker

• 

  Driver's licence

• 

  Allergies

• 

  Special dietary requirements
  Vegetarian, but I am willing to be flexible for the duration of my stay! I don't want to be a burden and am appreciative of your willingness to let me into your life!