CURRENT MISSION

searching for the extraordinary moments in ordinary life

ABOUT ME

Well I suppose I am your typical twenty-something walking the tightrope between responsibility and adventure. I seek to enrich my life through a natural balance between personal relationships, career development, and community involvement.

Currently, I'm a student again! This time I'm studying water resource management at Duke University and working at USGS as a hydrologic technician. This keeps me pretty busy but I'm still trying to soak up as much of the graduate student experience as I possibly can and squeeze in a little traveling too!

I grew up in a small city near the shore of Lake Michigan, and lived in the same home for 18 years. Every year my family took a camping trip either in the Upper Peninsula or Ontario. I believe these experiences led to my fascination with the natural world and this relative isolation fueled a growing curiosity about other places and ways of life.

My perspective on travel changed when I studied in Ecuador for seven months during college. While living with my host family I grasped the importance of experiencing culture through local people. I realized that losing your itinerary and following the people can lead to a wonderful day or sometimes an excruciating one. Either way you'll end up with a great story and a new experience.

I take this philosophy with me when I travel, and keep it in mind when I host others. My goal is not only to see the sights but to find out how people live in other places. I think the Couch Surfing community will be a great avenue to pursue these traveling goals.

If you would like more information about me shoot me an email or check out my flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/bfc07/ for a glimpse into my day to day.

PHILOSOPHY

Treat everyone and everything with respect and an open mind.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Ok so now I have hosted a few people and have met and hung out with several couchsurfers, it was awesome! I also had a blast surfing my way down the west coast this spring and will definitely be surfing more couches in the future!

Interests

photosafaris
music! (dance parties, concerts, the perfect playlist)
taking the long way there
sports (mostly tennis, jogging, beach volleyball)
the freewheeling spirit of adventure
hiking, camping or both!
hanging out with old friends, meeting new ones
learning about other cultures
anything related to ecology, entomology or evolution
trying new things that scare me
keeping old traditions alive
lecturing my friends about being lame (aka staying in)
being lame anyway :)
supporting the local community
trying my best to be part of a solution
and of course.. TRAVELING

• culture
• concerts
• dancing
• walking
• partying
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• sports
• tennis
• volleyball
• ecology
• entomology
• beaches

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, United States

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