CURRENT MISSION

see the world, meet new people, make a difference

ABOUT ME
Current MBA/MPA student in business and international development
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Kazakhstan
Spent the majority of my career in the Former Soviet Union, and more recently East Africa.

PHILOSOPHY

openness to new things, cultural exchange, education, responsibility, compassion and wonder

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Hung out with a lot of Couchsurfers during my days living in Central Asia. What a wonderful bunch of people. Am planning on surfing in upcoming travels!

Interests

travel
basketball
singing
literature
cooking

• literature
• singing
• education
• cooking
• recipes
• wine
• cocktails
• shopping
• traveling
• cycling
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• basketball
• rock climbing
• business
• teaching
• volunteering
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Nabokov, Lermontov, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Jostein Gaarder & "The Phantom Tollbooth" (should really put this book under "Personal Philosophy")

Movies: anything thought-provoking, foreign, beautiful or romantic. but also, cartoons/kid movies and superhero movies!

Music: almost everything, including rap and country ;)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Giraffe kissing in Kenya, beach-bumming in Bulgaria, public diplomacy in Estonia, solo wandering in Venice, temple-hopping in Cambodia, firefly cruises in Thailand, mountain climbing in Kazakhstan, museum overdosing in St. Petersburg, bargain shopping in Beijing, glacial lake camping in Tajikistan, safaring in the Serengeti, bazaar meandering in Morocco, parasailing in Bali and Kyrgyzstan, cocktail sipping in Singapore, biking around central Turkey, shipwreck diving in the Philippines, salty lake-bobbing in Djibouti, hanging over a waterfall in Zambia...I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel and love to share stories with fellow adventurers!

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: Russian phrases and Chinese cooking
Learn: good recipes and local haunts in other countries
Share: a game of pick-up bball, any day

What I Can Share with Hosts

Great conversations, a home-cooked Chinese meal and/or a bottle of wine!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Finland, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam, Zambia

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tanzania, United States