Recently moved back to the US after two and half years in Iraqi Kurdistan working on a USAID-funded project, and already wanting to leave! ~ Have worn many hats (international development contractor, private English teacher for Samsung execs's children in Vietnam, former US Army Cadet, library assistant, DoorDasher, Instacarter, electric scooter picker-upper, verge of homelessness vagabond, cow and goat caretaker, international monitor in Israel and Palestine, coach and mentor, crisis counselor, other things that I can't recall).

Grew up in very conservative Texas town that keeps making the news for all the wrong reasons, college dropout in 2017, realized that I can't do much without a degree, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA degree in Government and International Relations in 2019, immediately went to Iraq to work on a project that monitors food assistance, WASH, protection, health, shelter, and related aid activities in northern and central Iraq. Moved back to the US in December 2021 and have regretted it ever since. Currently enrolled in a coding bootcamp, hoping to be in a software engineering position by the end of the year.

A slightly extroverted introvert that enjoys a good book with a glass of wine and/or whiskey. Used to love the rain but now require a heat-lamp like a reptile. Becoming more fond of hiking after a laziness hiatus, baseball games, taking care of my plants that won't get watered while I'm away, dog-sitting weird schnauzer/dachshund mixes, stardew valley and farming simulation games for the nerd side, moving my furniture around my apartment every week because I can't decide on a layout, other completely normal things.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I used Couchsurfing multiple times when I first started traveling in 2017/2018, but not much since then :( I've been both a host and a guest, and I miss the connections that I made with hosts and other surfers. Hoping to get back into the community ~

Interests

• reading
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• everything new

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Educated (Tara Westover); Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens); The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho); Brave New World (Aldous Huxley); Midnight Library (Matt Haig); Mountains Beyond Mountains (Tracy Kidder); Sparks Like Stars (Nadia Hashimi); MANY OTHERS

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've been bitten by a deer before (pretty amazing if you ask me).

Teach, Learn, Share

Willing to teach: Can probably get you solving a rubiks cube in a few hours, and how to implement a food assistance assistance activity in an internally displaced persons camp in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Willing to learn: All the random fun facts and any of your passions (I got 2nd place in trivia once, very impressive).

Willing to share: Very random political and international relations knowledge, how my coding bootcamp is going, generally good vibes, alcohol when requested, a waning nicotine addiction, how I almost got stuck in Wuhan in January 2020 because I just wanted some KFC, etc.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happy to help around the house as needed! Can cook a decent meal, wash all the dishes, sweepy sweep the floors, any other tasks as requested. Always willing to hang out and open to any and all recommendations.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, France, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, Palestine, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Iraq, United States, Viet Nam