CURRENT MISSION:

My current goal is to visit all seven continents--including Antarctica!--and, you know, to learn Arabic.

ABOUT ME:

I am from Kansas City, Missouri in the heart of the United States. I'm pretty intense when I'm interested in something but about life I'm very laid back and love nothing more than meeting new people, sharing adventures, drinks, and stories. I love learning about how other people see the world.

When I was traveling everyday with a partner, I wrote about it here. If your interested in getting more insight into me and my process before you let me into your home, here's like 2 years of my life laid out for you:
http://www.annagetsaround.com

You can also find my travel stories on Instagram and Facebook @annagetsaround

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We are lucky enough to have amazing friends all over the world that can introduce us to the local side of life and we always want to make more. The people we have met along the way bring joy and meaning to these experiences.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Current surfer, future host. We try to incorporate Couchsurfing as much as we can into this journey, and that won't end when the road leads back home.

We are extremely considerate, self sufficient travelers that are always flexible to your needs and comfort. Tommy and I always appreciate how lucky we are to be living our dreams!

And someday, when our lives have become more stationary, to have people from all over the world come through my door will be like traveling without leaving home.

Interests

• arts
• culture
• drinking
• socializing
• food

Music, Movies, and Books

I love to read and always assume my favorite book is one I haven't read yet. I really enjoy getting recommendations for new titles to put on my list. It is hard to find books at the moment since I'm traveling, and I can't really carry more than one with me anyway. But I think good books are meant to be shared so I am happy to make a trade!

My favorite books at the moments are:
Bluets - Maggie Nelson
Rings of Saturn - W.G. Sebald
Poor Economics - Baneree and Duflo

I don't know how to go about picking a favorite movie! But, if I had to, I will always have a place in my heart for:

A Little Princess
The Princess Bride
Frozen

Sound of Music

Before Sunrise
Before Sunset
Before Midnight

Perfume

My favorite TV shows are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.
But I also love Don't Trust the B* in Apartment 23, The Office, Black Books, Parks & Rec, Friends, New Girl, and smart shows that make me laugh in general.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Quitting my job to travel the world was pretty scary, I don't know how amazing it was.

There have been plenty of moments that have amazed me along the way.

After being stranded in a local Indian train station/homeless encampment from 2 AM to 4 AM: The sudden revelation that the train which had just pulled in could take us onward. Searching for my boyfriend while a crowd of men followed and stared, gathering around me. Screaming down the hallway of a crowded men's restroom. Seeing the train begin to pull away two platforms over and breaking into a run. Hearing the shouts and heavy footsteps of the crazy man who had taken chase bearing down behind me but not looking back. Sprinting up to a moving train and leaping into the car.

Watching the sun rise half-way over Angkor Wat, and then entering to be virtually alone in the temple ruins as the sky brightened into a sublime morning.

Meeting a young man at the very last moment in a bar who would let Tommy and I crash in his living room overnight, on a cold night in Norway that we had nowhere else to go.

Living a nightmare on an idyllic Italian vineyard, and ultimately escaping.

Taking high tea in a British colonial hotel on a cool afternoon in Darjeeling, in the company of two impossibly fluffy white dogs.

Learning to ride two-to-a-bike in the Dutch style to go to the pier in The Hague. Watching a chilly sunset from the first of the seasonal makeshift beach-bars. Later, across Europe, dancing to classical music as the sun rises over the Black Sea on the Romanian side of the Bulgarian border. Exhausted after an all-nighter in the hippie beach town partying with our long lost/new found cousin.

Volunteering to teach English all across beautiful, rural Poland. Making lifelong friends through week-long programs.

Watching the winter whale migration off the coast of Australia.

Moving to Vietnam, having never before set foot in Asia. Teaching enormous, unruly classes of 50+ students in small, non-air conditioned classrooms through an entire academic year.

Getting stranded in Spain somewhere between Barcelona and the outlying town where we were staying that night. Truly believing that we would sleep on park benches when a police car drove by that I threw myself in front of. Racing 3x faster than any other car on the road in that police patrol car only to stop abruptly and dumped on a corner of a busy street where we actually had a chance to get a lift. Making it home that night.

Having dinner with the seven Italian college boys who took us in in Milan and cooked pasta for us, all the while arguing among themselves about who's mother made the best carbonara.

Walking to Constantine's Gate on the next hill over from the home of the host we were with.

Watching the ghats at dusk from across the river in Kathmandu.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to cook and, when time and schedules allow, I'll cook for us!

I have my degree in Fine Arts, and while I no longer have a studio practice I can be of assistance with a wide array of visual and creative needs.

I am trying so hard to learn Spanish. And Arabic. But I love to learn anything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam