Hi! I'm rewriting this now (Nov. 2017) since it was originally written in 2010.

I'm Catherine. I grew up in Minnesota in the U.S. My first stint abroad was as an exchange student in Sweden when I was 16-17. During college I studied abroad in India, and then after college I moved to China for three years and taught English. While in China, I happened to fall in love with a Swiss person, so I eventually moved to Berlin to be closer to him, and now we're married and live together in Zürich. So, if you have a connection to any of the places I just mentioned, we'll have plenty to talk about! :)

Some things I'm interested in or passionate about:
- social justice
- music (I sing and can play guitar and piano)
- crafts (things like watercolor painting, making quilts, etc.)
- sunshine and long daylight hours
- natural scenery (though I don't dare say I'm really "outdoorsy" compared to some people)
- languages
- listening to podcasts
- cross-cultural learning/communication
- cooking (I'm vegetarian and trying to reduce my intake of animal products in general)
- travelling, of course

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love the give and take of the Couchsurfing community. I haven't used it a ton, just surfed a few times. But now that I'm more or less settled in Zürich, I thought it could be fun to host people now and then. My husband and his two former flatmates hosted around 100 people on Couchsurfing back in its glory days, so he's up for it, too!

Interests

• singing
• vegetarian
• music
• guitar
• teaching
• languages
• social justice

Music, Movies, and Books

I find it weirdly stressful to list my favorite things out like this, but I'll try. As far as books, I've been having a horrible reading dry spell for the past two years or so, so I don't have much to contribute at the moment. I don't watch movies very often, either. But as far as music, most of my favorites would probably fall under the category of "hipster music"-- stuff like Bon Iver, Tallest Man on Earth, The Decemberists, etc. Here are some more that I really like, and if you love one of them, you can mention it in a message.

Cloud Cult
Frank Turner
Fleet Foxes
HAIM
Tegan and Sara
James Blake
Frightened Rabbit
Mason Jennings
The Shins
Kings of Convenience
Sylvan Esso
Passion Pit

Some of my favorite Swedish-language musicians are:
Laleh
Amason
Bob Hund
Den svenska björnstammen

And last but not least, the soundtrack to Hamilton is on constant rotation for me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I went trekking in Nepal with some friends, we got to eat lunch at a man's house in the Himalayas and drink tea from his own tea fields. Then he asked us to sing Hotel California, which was his favorite song. That was one of the best days of my life.

On the island of Palawan in the Philippines, I kayaked to an island withnew friends, drank rum in coconuts, and then kayaked into the middle of the water to watch the sunset. One of the best days of my life as well.

Teach, Learn, Share

I think languages and songs are probably most of what I have to teach. I'm happy to learn almost anything!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Macao, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Thailand, Turkey, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Germany, India, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

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