CURRENT MISSION

Improving as a writer, avoiding bankruptcy

ABOUT ME

Lanky and left-handed, with an accidental snort to my laughter, I'm teeming with curiosity and anxious to see as much of the world as possible. I'm kind, spontaneous, and so enthusiastic that a friend once described me as "high on entropy." At 22, I'm a thoughtful dynamo always in search of a new idea or friendship.

I'm eager to make discoveries about myself and others, to see what it's like to inhabit a position in society (or across the planet) that I'm unfamiliar with. Even once I've "grown up," I want to stay imaginative and active, and to keep on collecting odd but special memories.

As for now, I've just graduated from university, where I studied economics and international relations. Maybe I'll go into a development non-profit? Or journalism? Next I'll be attending Sciences Po, and my future had better involve lots of traveling. Thanks to an encouraging mother, who would ship me to an overnight camp (or overseas) when I was a teenager, I've come to enjoy the challenge of surviving independently and finding nice company in different places.

A few years back, I worked at the Shanghai World Expo as a glorified greeter. While there, I got to practice the various languages I've been teaching myself, and I learned about the home cultures and ambitions of my fellow volunteers. Globe-trotting is all I've ever saved up for. Since my 16th birthday, I've held down a number of odd jobs to finance this passion of mine: store clerk, short-order cook, live window model, etc.

All that said, I'll stop here and save the meandering for my actual journeys! (Hopefully with you there.)

PHILOSOPHY

Always carry a pen, wear a smile, and leave enough room for ice cream!

"Isn't it a joy indeed, to have friends come from far away?" -Confucian saying

"Esse quam videri" / "To be, rather than to seem" -Cicero

Optimistic humanist here. I love and believe in humanity, and I'm awed by what it can accomplish. Everyone has something valuable to teach, if only you look hard enough -- or know the right questions to ask.

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I was inspired to take up CouchSurfing because of my mother's example. She raised my younger sister and me without a husband supporting her. On occasion, she made a point of reaching out to young people struggling to figure themselves out, and letting them stay with us. They were something between babysitters and older siblings to me, and even though some of the favors didn't work out, I'm determined (like my mother was) to help those in need, to accept it myself sometimes, and to pause before judging others.

It's my pleasure to host people whenever my futon isn't claimed. In exchange for good conversation and a refreshing perspective and maybe a glass of wine, I'll insist on touring you around.

Of course, I'm also a CouchSurfer myself. I'd rather befriend locals while I'm traveling, and go on meaningful excursions with them. I'm an easygoing guest, not at all picky or achy or demanding, and I make sure to "repay" any hospitality however it's most appreciated. That could be as simple yet rewarding as cooking together, or talking through our lives.

Even if I can't physically visit your hometown, I'm on the lookout for e-pals. CouchSurfing seems like just the right venue for finding them worldwide!

Centres d'intérêt

Satire, long-form journalism, "trash" trivia, contract bridge, foreign languages, SETI and cosmology, sustainable development, positive psychology, hiking and trail running, racket sports, making lanyards and other crafts, communal living, definitions of utopia, documentary filmmaking, old-time celluloid, Colonial America, preppy fashion, the original Pokemon, pacifism, radical activism, bubble tea, entertaining with themed parties, and getting to know quality people!

• writing
• fashion
• documentaries
• film making
• cooking
• wine
• running
• working out
• modeling
• partying
• crafts
• trivia
• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• trail running
• sports
• economics
• international relations
• journalism
• languages
• psychology

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

"Someday we'll find it / The rainbow connection / The lovers, the dreamers, and me" -Kermit the Frog

"Welcome to my morning, welcome to my day / You know I'm the one responsible, I make it just this way / To paint myself a picture, to see what it might bring / I think I made it perfectly, I wouldn't change a thing" -John Denver

Those lyrics will never budge from here, simple and hopeful as they are. But I'll update with anything that's moved me recently:

Catfish (movie)
The Bottom Billion (book)

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

Seeing a mother turtle lay its eggs on the eastern shores of Costa Rica, under a thick night sky. That, or staying up all night in Beijing so I could go with friends, kinda drunk still, to witness the flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square.

Pays que j'ai visités

Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Costa Rica, France, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Pays dans lesquels j'ai vécu

China, France, United States

•