Hi! I'm a graduate student and I live in Tucson, Arizona with my super awesome solar-installer hubby. I like spending time outdoors--hiking, camping, skiing, biking, whatever!--and I also love cooking and baking. In fact, I study food and the way people relate to it. I've worked as an artisanal bread baker, a cook at a wilderness lodge, a chairlift operator at a ski resort, a house painter, and a trail crew member. I'm fairly extroverted but I also covet my alone time and curling up with a book (or many!) and some tea.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on couchsurfing because I like connecting with real human beings when I travel places. It really changes the kinds of experiences you are able to have. I've used things like airbnb too, which are fine, but can get kind of expensive. And you know what graduate students don't have? Money! So, couchsurfing seems like an awesome way to meet good people who know cool places and save some money while doing it. Win-win-win.

Interests

• books
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• baking
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: E.T., Stranger than Fiction, Harold and Maude, Wall-E, so many!

Books: I have to read constantly for my PhD so I don't get to do much pleasure reading anymore, but I really loved the first book in Tariq Ali's "The Islam Quintet," called _Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree_.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro with my family when I was 12. I forget about it now that I'm 31, but it was absolutely incredible.

Teach, Learn, Share

I taught English in Italian high schools, and I taught Italian as a private tutor in Colorado.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my cooking and baking abilities, and I am also excellent at doing dishes! I love learning new recipes from other people, too, or working with new ingredients.

Countries I’ve Visited

Denmark, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, Spain