I've been living and teaching (not English!) internationally in Nigeria and South Korea for the last two and a half years although my plan for the coming year is to take time off and find my passion. Through living and teaching abroad, I've developed an expanded world view and a love of traveling and experiencing new places. My favorite past time besides reading and knitting is hiking. I also really enjoy SCUBA diving although I have a number of ear problems that make it challenging to equalize, so I often have to settle for snorkeling. I'm an animal lover and maintain a thoughtful reducetarian (sometimes called Weekday Vegetarian) diet. I'm very open to new experiences and love to make new friends, although I can often be quiet around new people at first.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing because I really enjoy finding hidden gems while traveling and I feel like staying with people who actually live as locals is the easiest way to find exciting and amazing things off the beaten path. I would also really like to be able to make my travel experiences last longer by reducing my expenses. As soon as I have a home of my own that I can share with others, you can be sure that I'll be helping others do the same.

Interests

• animals
• culture
• performing arts
• reading
• knitting
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• snorkeling
• history
• language exchange
• volunteering
• cultural immersion
• mythology
• horseback riding
• networking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Lindsay Sterling, Joshua Bell, Gorillaz, Studio Killers, deadmau5, Simon & Garfunkle, the Beetles.

Movies: All of Disney, All of Hayao Miyazaki, Army of Darkness, Young Frankenstein, Pirates of The Carribbean (First Three), Princess Bride.

Books: Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy series, The Lord of The Rings series and the Hobbit, Game of Thrones series, the Fountainhead, Harry Potter Series

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It' really hard to select one, but one that comes to mind is Canyoneering in the Philippines. I have an intense fear of heights and there were numerous times where I wanted to simply stop, but I couldn't because the only way to leave was to repel down the waterfalls. I was terrified at the beginning but by the end I was actually enjoying it. I learned a lot about myself in the process and the cheezy quote about courage not being the absence of fear but rather the triumph over it took on personal meaning for me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Nigeria, South Korea, United States