Hello! My name is August. I was born and raised in Mississippi, and I am 24 years old. I love living in the South, but I am eager to travel which is something I have never done before - be a part of this journey with me!

The short story is that I farm mostly these days on an organic farm, and soon I will work towards earning a license to teach yoga. My future plans aside from traveling involve abolition work and trauma-competent care work! Read more below for a longer story :)

I would not describe myself as reserved, but I would say that I am very accommodating and respectful of others. I love to talk, but I have more experience listening than I do leading the conversations. I love animals - the bigger the better! As a visitor, I am very neatly and clean, and I am very adaptable. I love food, but I cannot consume caffeine or dairy! I also do not drink or smoke, but I do not mind if people drink/smoke around me.

I recently graduated from University with an MDS degree in Engineering, Math, and Sociology, and, I know, this is an unusual combination - this is quintessential to my character; my interests ebb and flow, and there is very little that I do not enjoy.

However, I love trees, flowers, mushrooms, and nature in general (anything that allows me time under the sun!). I also enjoy reading (nonfiction mostly), watercolor, experimental cooking, running around, dancing daily, laughing, listening to people's stories, and forming deep relationships. Aside from being a student, I have worked as a Labor Organizer helping workers fight for higher wages and better working conditions. Following that, I most recently worked as a Children's Counselor. All the while, I have been working on an organic, no till farm in Oxford, MS (where I currently live) cultivating the land and harvesting veggies for the community (this has been my favorite job thus far).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love my community, and there is much to be said about the history and the problematics of the South, but it is what I know and I love it. However, I have never left Mississippi for a long period of time nor have I left the country - ever! I was on the verge of continuing my education as a doctoral student when I decided that I wanted and needed to see life elsewhere. I want to meet people and places that contradict me, and I want to feel untethered for a moment. I am not necessarily seeking out thrilling or fantastical experiences - I would just as much love to see and experience the subtleties and nuances of other places, however humble.

Interests

• animals
• culture
• dancing
• cooking
• yoga
• meditation
• folk music
• hiking
• swimming
• tea
• plants
• language
• mushrooms
• astrology
• alternative medicine
• herbalism
• crafting
• naturopathy
• enneagram
• cold water swimming
• abolition
• homoepathy

Music, Movies, and Books

Khruangbin is my favorite music group - they are a funk-psychedelic trio from Austin, Texas, and they pull a lot of inspiration from the late 60's Thai funk scene. I am not a huge movie-watcher, but I love comedies and classics. I love to read - I absorb information quickly and readily, and there is no way for me to pick a favorite.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I did live on a commune in Virginia two summers ago for a month. It was a beautiful experience, and I would willing go back again. I love the lifestyle of the commune, the community, the attitude, and the particulars of child rearing. Everything that I did in the community felt meaningful from the meals that I helped prepare all the way down to the naps that I took on the many hammocks. It was heart-work.

Teach, Learn, Share

If there were anything that I would be able to shed some light upon - it would be an overlay of sociological topics (race, gender, class, etc.) and health in society (mental health, trauma, child-rearing, and forms of counseling), but I do not believe that I am an expert in either of these fields - my perspective on these things are always changing. I am also in the process of becoming a certified enneagram practitioner. I would love to hear other people's opinions as well on any of these subjects.

I think I will learn a lot from my traveling alone, but I would love to learn more about plants, gardening, homeopathy, naturopathy, forms of therapy and meditation, cultures, languages, slang and regional expressions (I love linguistics), local art and artists to your area, food culture specific to your community, and, truthfully, just about anything. We can share stories if nothing else, but I am also a lover of teas (mostly herbal because I have a caffeine intolerance).

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would love to share some Mississippi, homegrown herbs and teas from local farmers in my area! I also know how to perform Kerokan which is an Indonesian-style healing massage - if you are feeling brave :)

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States