Always excited to meet new people, especially if they're lovers of good food, good wine, laughing a lot, impromptu adventures, and music. I live in Portland, Oregon, United States, where I like to spend my time outdoors when possible (lots of rain!), organizing karaoke/capture the flag events with my friends, shooting archery, or performing stand-up comedy at one of the hundreds of bars in town. I work as a tutor for high school students, and I love education dearly; I am self-employed, so I understand and respect the importance of reliability, maintaining schedules, and responsibility. That said, I still just love to have fun whenever I can, life is a gift and I'm always grateful! All in all, I think I'm a pretty decent adult :D

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

One of my primary goals for my travelling plans is to meet people and gain some perspective outside my own. I think Couchsurfing puts people in a unique position to really get to MEET other people and see what life is like for someone else - it's not a party or bar setting (those are fun, too) so I feel like social interactions and conversation have a chance to go places they might not normally. Basically, I want a genuine connection with new people who know what's going on in their own community.

Interests

I enjoy making music with my band (I play the keyboard), rollerblading, shooting archery, tap dancing, making paper crafts, reading, writing stand-up comedy, cooking/baking with my sister, and getting tipsy with my siblings while making strange art. I'm also a giant nerd, so I like to make instructional math/science videos for students to refer to when they're stuck. I'll try anything once, so I expect this list to get a lot larger over time.

• arts
• writing
• dancing
• tap dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• baking
• partying
• crafts
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• karaoke
• outdoor activities
• hunting
• archery
• chemistry
• teaching
• mathematics
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Best Bands In the Universe: Pinback, Alt-J, Pink Floyd, Elliott Smith, Alice In Chains, A Perfect Circle, Tool, The Faint, The Mars Volta

Best Movies In the Universe: Breakfast Club, Silverlinings Playbook, V for Vendetta, Amelie

Best Books in the Universe: Harry Potter, Lolita, Nine Stories, The Jungle, Jude The Obscure, A Song of Ice and Fire, Lamb, Tess of the D'Urbervilles

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've climbed a Redwood tree before. And many times. Even in a storm. All 30.5 meters of it. It was this amazing tree behind my college dormitories, and I'd climb up there when I needed to relax or get out of my own head. You could see the entire Monterey Bay from the top. One of my favorite places.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach almost all levels of math and chemistry, so if you're in school and needing help, I'm happy to offer advice! I'm also quite good at teaching tap dance, so if you've ever wanted to learn, I can hook you up with the basics :) you don't even need tap shoes, I teach my friends in sneakers or bare feet even.

I would love to learn more about gardening, carpentry, and guitar. I will gladly help you in your garden, or with fix-its around the house (I love being handy, especially if I get to use any powertools).

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love feeding people - friends, family, strangers - it really doesn't matter, so I am more than happy to cook for my hosts, it would be my pleasure. I also have a strange condition where I despise cleaning my own house, but LOVE cleaning for other people, so if you need dusting/vacuuming/dishwashing/laundry/scrubbing/sweeping/mopping to happen, I am your lady. I think it would also be neat to be able to share music with my hosts, so I am happy to jam with you, if you're musically inclined :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Jamaica, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States