CURRENT MISSION

Bliss

ABOUT ME

My mid 20's brought me to South Korea where I lived and worked for 4 years. Following that I backpacked across SE Asia and a bit of Europe before spending some time back in the states. I then came back to Asia and have been living in Bali for several months.

As for my personality, I'm basically a textbook 'dreamy idealist'. I live in my head sometimes more than I should. I love daydreaming, usually about traveling and its accompanied adventures. I'm spontaneous and independent and find it difficult to make life-determining decisions. Decisions such as where should I live? What should I do for a living? Or what book should I read next?

People often comment on how very chill and adaptable I am. I think I've just always been laid-back. But my adaptability was really cultivated via traveling and living abroad. My natural empathetic perspective has also blossomed with time and travel.

Really, I can't say enough positive things about what travel has done for me. Who I've become in my adult years is due in large part to traveling and to those people I've met along the way. I look forward to having more and more first-hand experiences with different people and cultures and would love nothing more than to continue sharing and learning from each other as citizens of the globe.

PHILOSOPHY

Be thankful for the everyday things.

Don't live life to please others, but do live a life worth being personally proud of.

Kindness and acceptance could make the world go round.

Pure ecstasy is achieved via the realization that you are everything and everything is you.

In ecstasy you know yourself as cosmic ego, unbounded in time and space.

A liberated soul is a citizen of the universe.

You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Unfortunately I'm so much of a nomad these days that I haven't had much opportunity to offer a space to those looking for couches. So now I participate as a surfer. I'm hoping to be able to settle in either Aus or Bali in the near future and function as a host. It's only right to return the kindness I've been so fortunate to experience through CS.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've surfed in Australia, Philippines, and Singapore. All of these experiences have been eye opening, rewarding, and excellent examples of the hospitable and kind people that are still here on CS! I have also had the pleasure of hosting two guests when I lived in Korea.

Interests

Travel/culture/adventures, obviously.

Meditation/yoga/veganism

Hiking/scuba diving/spinning

Reading/journaling/blogging

Dancing/drinking/toking

Exploring/learning/discussing

Listening/helping/engaging

• culture
• books
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• drinking
• boating
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• hiking
• scuba diving
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Forrest Gump, Super Bad, Inception, American X, Almost Famous, The Waiting Room, American Beauty, Requiem For A Dream, Lost In Translation, The Lunchbox, Brooklyn Castle, Dazed And Confused, Bad Words, Anchor Man, Forks Over Knives.

Music: FKA Twigs, Of Monsters and Men, Vacationer, Sublime, Big Grams, The XX, Flying Lotus, Phantogram, Kid Cudi, Bon Iver, Incubus, Milky Chance, Toro y Moi, The Paper Kites, The Black Keys, Flume, Glen Check, Nirvana, Alt-J, Tame Impala.

Books: The Kite Runner, Scar Tissue, Angela's Ashes, At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream, Running With Scissors, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, You Had Me At Woof, The Tipping Point.

TV: Freaks and Geeks, Party Down, An Idiot Abroad, Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Masters of Sex, The Good Wife.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spent 5 days and 4 nights on a liveaboard in Thailand. We lived on a boat which was out at sea for that duration. We did 3-4 dives per day from morning until night, equalling 14 dives in total. Plus, I did my very first two night dives. The experience was more than I could have ever imagined it to be. I can't wait to do another one, hopefully in Myanmar next time!

Teach, Learn, Share

As I'm an American teacher with experience in South Korea, I can:
Teach you about the Korean language and culture.
Show you how to get a job teaching in Korea.
Cook Korean food.
Verify or refute your knowledge of American culture.

As a vegetarian of many years and recently a vegan with a keen interest in nutrition, I can:
Cook vegetarian/vegan food.
Share recipes and resources for healthier cooking.

I'm also always willing to share a Michigan-based card game, if that suits your interests.

But the thing I enjoy most is sharing great food and a drink and discussing.... anything really. It's a great big world out there with so many interesting people. Taking the time to learn about each other is what we all ought to be doing. Agree or disagree on the topic, it doesn't really matter. But seizing the opportunity to learn and share from each other, it's beautiful.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Fiji, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, South Korea, United States