I grew up in West Virginia, United States before spending all four of my high school years between San Jose, Costa Rica and Puebla, Mexico. Through my travels I was introduced to rock climbing and mountain climbing, which have become two of my passions. I recently picked up snow boarding while living back in the US. Currently I'm trying to get better at surfing and refining my Spanish skills while traveling through Mexico and Central America before starting a PhD in biochemistry in August of 2023.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To connect with local people who can show me the way around their home, introduce me to new foods and to share experiences! I am passionate about hearing peoples stories either about what has made them who they are today or from their travels. Currently backpacking through Mexico and Central America!

Interests

• cooking
• reading
• hiking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• snowboarding
• rock climbing
• eating
• listening to stories

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Mumford and Sons, Jon Bellion, Zach Bryan, Vian Izak, AJR, Dermot Kennedy, Ed Sheeran

Movies: Action/adventure, movies addressing deeper issues, mysteries

Books: Fantasy (ie The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There is a mountain in Mexico called Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl) that rests at an altitude of 5,636 meters making it the tallest mountain in Mexico (third tallest in North America). Following Christmas of 2021, I attempted to summit the mountain with my dad and sister. After camping at various points to acclimate to the altitude, we set out at 0130 to attempt a summit a few hours after sunrise. Battling the thinning of oxygen and the resulting exhaustion was one of the most difficult things I have experienced. I just wanted to lay down and sleep. After an hour into the climb, my sister had to turn around from uncontrollable coldness and shaking as a result of altitude sickness. Pressing on for six more hours and coming within 200 meters of the summit, we hear rocks starting to fall and finally see them coming at us. After running to shelter under a cliff, we make the very difficult decision to turn around. Even though we were so close to our goal, we decided that protecting those with us and our lives were better than pushing on to summit the mountain since it would be there for another day.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English

I would like to learn how to dance better! I enjoy dancing, but I have no idea how to. It would be awesome to pick up local dances as I am traveling. I also want to learn how to cook local dishes and find new places to explore where not many outsiders may know about.

I can share stories from the different adventures I have been on. Our stories are what define us as people and help make us unique.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Over the past year, I have been getting into landscape photography (still not great at all, but o do I enjoy it!). I would like to begin taking photos of the people I meet along the way in different photoshoots. If my host would let me, I would be able to photograph them and share the photos with them. I can also make really good chilaquiles verdes (a Mexican dish) and a phenomenal cake in a mug that only requires a microwave and a few ingredients!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, Haiti, Iceland, Mexico, Nicaragua

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, Mexico, United States