CURRENT MISSION

In this life, there are nothing but possibilities.

ABOUT ME

I'm earning my psychology Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in a program called Personality and Social Contexts. I'm big into social constructivism, i.e. how our culture creates catagories for people like gender, race, sexual orientation, class, (dis)ability, etc.

Outside of school, I enjoy going out for meals with friends, seeing movies, and generally nerding it up with video games, star trek, and D&D. When the weather is nice (for a whole two months a year in MI!), I like to be outside and play basketball/volleyball, go swimming, or just lay under a tree and read.

PHILOSOPHY

"Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed in the summer of 2004 in western Europe, and had a great time. I took a whole year off in 2006 to travel around. I spent a long while in France and Spain, and then a brief time in Portugal. On impulse, I ferried down to Morocco, and then flew back across the ocean to Ecuador.

Once back in the U.S., my boyfriend and I took a massive road trip from Florida up the SE coast to Montreal, then over to the NW, down the west coast, and back through the middle of the country to get to MI two days before I was supposed to start grad school.

I wouldn't have been able to get by for so long with so little money if it hadn't been for the kindess of fellow couchsurfers.

Interests

• culture
• movies
• video games
• traveling
• basketball
• volleyball
• swimming
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Star Wars trilogy (original three); Indiana Jones trilogy; Total Recall; True Lies; The Breakfast Club; Empire Records; American Beauty; Young Frankenstein; Jurassic Park; Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Rocky Horror Picture Show; The Emperor's New Groove; Fiddler on the Roof

Books: Have Space Suit Will Travel; Alas Babylon; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Night; Egalia's Daughters; A Handmaid's Tale; Gaean Trilogy

Music: Garden State Soundrack; Billy Holiday; Best of the 50's; Best of the 80's;

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I must say that Olympic National Park in Washington state and Mammoth Cave in Kentucky are some frickin awesome places to go.

Teach, Learn, Share

Most important Social Psychology Lesson: The Bystander Effect. As a rule, the more people there are, the less likely any one person will do anything to help in an emergency. Everyone thinks that someone else is doing something so no one does anything. If you are ever in danger and need help, make sure to point out to one single person and assign them a task, don't just ask for general help. Example, "hey you in the red shirt, call 911." Likewise, if you see someone in need, do not assume that someone else will help. Go over and help, you may be the only one who does.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Ecuador, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Switzerland, United States