Hello! My name is Amanda and I want to see the world.

I was born and raised in Southern California where I currently reside. I attended university in Riverside, California at California Baptist University. During my tenure in Riverside, I spent every summer travelling to different places throughout the United States as well as across the Atlantic.

My ultimate goal is to work around the world as a Registered Nurse so I always love learning about medicine and the way things work. I'm currently fascinated by genetics (weird, I know).

I love living an active lifestyle and trying new things. I'm a huge learner, so anything I can absorb, I will.

I was always playing sports growing up and ended up playing softball throughout university. I love to be active and generally try to live a joyful life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to get to know the locals and really take it all in. I love traveling, but I don't want to be a tourist.

My goal while I travel is to really absorb what each area is like and learn to love things about each culture. It's difficult to do that when I'm only looking for the popular sites to see (not to say I don't ever want to visit them though).

I typically like to spend one day doing tourist-like things and one day walking around or checking out spots that are less known. I think the more you venture away from the tourist sites, the more you see what a culture is really like.

Interests

My interests are pretty spread out. I love to hike and ride my bike, but I also love to sit down, read a good book, and drink coffee.

I love watching and playing sports, basically doing active things. My favorite place of all time is the beach; it's so peaceful and serene.

I love to learn all sorts of things. I want to learn languages, science, finances, and so much more.

• animals
• culture
• books
• coffee
• walking
• drinking
• traveling
• cars
• cycling
• hiking
• sports
• softball
• genealogy
• languages
• medicine
• nursing
• science
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I love classic literature. It's actually a New Year's Resolution of mine to read more classic literature so I went out and bought 2 shelves worth of classics.

I love all types of music except rap and some hip-hop. Some of my favorites are Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, but I love some AC/DC too!

Movies are difficult because there are so many, but I love comedies and action/thrillers. I think my favorite comedy is Dumb and Dumber. I don't really have any other favorites, but I do enjoy superhero/spy movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It's difficult to pick out something that stands out among the rest, so I'll share one of the stupidest things I've done.

I was in Tanzania (it's super hot and muggy on the coast) and I was riding on the back of a pikipiki (motorcycle) zipping around town. It's pretty dangerous to do that because of all the people, animals, cars, and bikes there are on the road (dirt or paved). Nevertheless, I jumped on anyway, with a helmet. I arrived about 10 minutes later at this market and went to get off and burned my leg on the exhaust pipe. It was one of the most painful things I've done. I ended up with a severe 2nd degree burn on my calf and muscle pain for at least a week. On the plus side, it didn't get infected, which I view as a feat.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to teach. Anything I know about, I will offer up willingly to anyone who cares to listen. I've spent some time teaching English as a Second Language and I loved seeing the students' progress. It's amazing to see what we can achieve if we're motivated enough.

I also love to workout and teach people how to live a healthy lifestyle.

What I Can Share with Hosts

It's hard to say what I would be able to share, but I guess I could share experiences with them, old and new. I love to try new things, even if it's uncomfortable at first.

Countries I’ve Visited

England, Mexico, Tanzania, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States