Hey! My name is Annika! In May 2016 I graduated university with degrees in Global Development and Spanish, and since then have been living in Richmond, VA, working at a coffee shop and figuring things out! I'm a feminist/social justice advocate, an actor, a thinker, and a lover of words. I come from a big, loud family (five kids) and an international background (dual U.S./German citizenship). I love goofing around, learning, and above all, exploring and travel!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I learned about Couchsurfing through my cousin, who had an awesome experience, and inspired me to give it a try! I'm on here because I believe in appreciating local life when traveling and cultural exchange. The best parts of my travels have always involved meeting new people, and I'm interested in making meaningful, lasting connections with people in many different places. For anyone who hosts me, I hope I can return the favor of hosting them in the future!

Interests

I sing (previously in choirs and groups, now mostly to myself at work), I love theater (I was in a Shakespeare troupe in college), sometimes I write poetry or prose, occasionally I knit. I really love and appreciate all forms of art, from painting to film to dance to sculpture to calligraphy. I'm also very interested in history and architecture.

• arts
• literature
• poetry
• singing
• theater
• architecture
• acting
• dancing
• cooking
• traveling
• knitting
• painting
• music
• backpacking
• history
• languages
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

After years of school ruining my reading habits, I'm getting back to my bookworm roots-- if you want to see what I'm reading and what I want to read, etc, you can check out my Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10915018-annika

Recently, I've mostly been listening to podcasts and and NPR, but some musicians I love include The Shins, Chvrches, Modest Mouse, Milky Chance, CAKE, and Elvis Presley. I'm also a sucker for certain musicals-- I love the music of Hamilton, Les Miserables, Spring Awakening, and others. I also enjoy classic rock, blues, reggaeton, salsa, some bluegrass/country, some pop, and have been getting more into hip hop and rap recently.

I have a real soft spot for British TV-- I recently finished Happy Valley and am impatiently waiting for season 3! Downtown Abbey, Peaky Blinders, Game of Thrones, and Stranger Things are some other favorites. I'm currently watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a dark musical comedy with a feminist twist, which sounds questionable but is seriously fantastic.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the summer of 2014, with only five days' planning and preparation, I went on a spontaneous five-week backpacking trip through Peru. The best experience of my life!

Other cool stuff involves directing a play, performing a one-woman show, and getting to see Hamilton with the original cast in NYC last winter!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm well versed in English grammar and pretty good at German, so I'm happy to teach or practice either with you!

I love cooking, especially when I get to do it with/for other people. I find it really both filling and fulfilling ;)

I'd love to learn more languages-- I'm especially interested in learning French, Dutch, Italian, Irish, Turkish, K'iche or Quechua, Hindi, Urdu... it's a pretty ambitious list, so we'll see how it goes :P

I've gotten a lot more interested in politics recently--partially out of necessity. I'd love to hear your perspective on America's crazy politics and about the issues that are important to you!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Craft beer knowledge
Enthusiasm for Shakespeare
Poems
Uncontrollable bursts of song
A listening ear and open mind
Strange love of public transit and parks

Countries I’ve Visited

Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Saint Martin (French part), Spain, Switzerland, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States