I like tea better than coffee. I enjoy long walks on the beach only if there's a puppy involved. Magnolia trees are my favorite to climb.

Also, I've been to 30 countries and would like to visit every country in the world, theoretically. I've worked on 4 continents, visited 6, and plan to go to the 7th one way or another. One time I lived in Cambodia outside Phnom Penh, taught English and harvested rice on the reg with a cheerful elderly, toothless lady. Another time I worked in Nepal and hiked around the Himalayas building a school and an orphanage. It may or may not have been a good use of time. Not sure either of those projects were ever completed.

It makes me really happy to share food with people. Good food preferably. You know, exciting food. My favorite food experiences have been in India, Malaysia, and the border of Thailand, near Burma. After visiting India I prefer to eat with my hands because my hands taste better than silverware.

If I could be good at anything it would be learning languages because I'd probably make more money than I do, work for the UN, be really savvy, and have a super diverse friend group. I always intend to learn the language of whichever country I am traveling to but I don't. If I die without becoming bilingual I will 1) blame the United States and 2) be upset for some amount of time in my afterlife.

Lastly, I love baby animals. Especially the kind you can find at the zoo, but I don't love zoos because the pandas are always sad.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My favorite way to travel is to experience a place through the lens of locals. I grew up in a small tourist town and do not terribly enjoy tourism or the idea of being a tourist, though we all are when we travel. So I find that Couchsurfing helps me avoid the tourist trap, bringing me to the heart of a city or country, to people and places I could not otherwise find as an outsider.

Interests

Hiking, trail running, rock climbing, kayaking, yoga, acro yoga, eating incredible food with my hands, spicy food, indian and middle eastern food, hip hop dance, swing dance, Krav Maga (Isreali martial arts), the art of cultural preservation, cultural integration, and having chats about life, love, food, race, philosophy, and what dreams may come.

• animals
• fish
• arts
• books
• dancing
• dining
• coffee
• vegetarian
• yoga
• running
• meditation
• drinking
• politics
• news
• traveling
• stamps
• fishing
• hiking
• kayaking
• trail running
• martial arts
• rock climbing
• communications
• languages
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: sigur ros, jonsi, bon iver, bob dylan, bob marley, sufjan stevens, simon & garfunkle, aretha franklin, alicia keys, lauryn hill, kendrick

Movies: the royal tenenbaums, life aquatic, fantastic Mr. fox, good will hunting, mona lisa smile, argo, exit through the gift shop, dear white people, charlie brown christmas

Books: half the sky, where the sidewalk ends, help thanks wow

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once lived in a country called Transnistria, teaching english to children of Russian immigrants. Transnistria is technically a territory of the country Moldova, but its little population seceded 20 some years ago and goes unrecognized by the international community as an autonomous country. To their credit they have their own flag, currency, border control, stamps, and mini Russian subculture.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English and want to learn whatever language you speak. I can teach self defense, yoga, meditation, and last but not least how to dougie and nae nae.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories and food

Countries I’ve Visited

Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Moldova, Nicaragua, Singapore, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Tanzania, Thailand, Viet Nam