I'm brand new to Couch surfing, it seems like such a wonderful idea! I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. After high school I studied public policy in Pennsylvania, but after a brief internship in Washington DC, I lost all interest in politics. Without direction I worked as waitress and saved up a enough money to start traveling. As soon as I started volunteering with children in Cambodia, I felt a great pull towards teaching. After returning to the States I took classes to obtain a teaching permit for preschool (I am also CPR and First Aid Certified) and then began teaching, I taught preschool (ages 2-6) for the past 4 1/2 years and truly have loved it. Children inspire me and remind me to marvel at all the imperfect perfection in this world. This past summer I lived in Pahoa and WWOOFed for about a month. This experience was so magical and I'm so happy to be back here.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I only recently found out about Couchsurfing and I think it's a brilliant idea. I'm usually not one to get into or gush about internet social sites, but I think the point of couchsurfing is absolutely necessary and amazing. I would love so much to help people who have extra space with work exchange, especially if they have challenging work. Working in the banana patch this summer while WWOOFing in Pahoa was incredibly challenging at first, getting that huge tree down seemed impossible and by the time I left, it was my favorite work. I want to have more experienced like this, where I can truly benefit my host by helping with tough work.

Interests

I love cooking, pickling, fermenting (although I'm really a novice at fermentation) juicing, dehydrating, preparing raw dishes, making infusions and pretty much anything else that has to do with edible substances. I have taken cooking classes in a few different countries and I have watched basically every episode of every cooking show...ever... Recently I've developed an in interest in medicinal herbs and holistic medicine. I also love pretty rocks and crystals, dogs, hiking, waterfalls, swimming, boogie boarding, working outside, learning new skills, and talking story, Probably one of my favorite activities is playing with or teaching young children, and then later telling stories about the hilarious and adorable things they say.

"Caitlin, your hair is so beautiful. You're so beautiful.... Just like a dog."

-Child at Preschool

• dogs
• arts
• singing
• design
• cooking
• working out
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• surfing
• swimming
• medicine
• public policy
• science
• volunteering
• beaches

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The first thing that popped into my head when I read this question may not seem that amazing to many people, but it remains to this day one thing that really impresses me. A few years ago I built a dog beach house . I know this sounds ridiculous but it was an awesome experience. I was taking a set design class and in order to practice carpentry skills I built a 4' X4' version of a beach house, it was elevated on stilts and had stairs so a small dog could climb up a wrap around porch. I still am super proud of how amazing the house turned out, and I learned a ton about building and using tools. We auctioned the dog house off after it was painted and raised a bit of money for the Humane Society.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm happy to teach and share any and all my knowledge of cooking, child development or anything else I know. I'd love to learn about farming, sustainable off the grid living, healing, cooking, fermenting, teaching, and community building projects.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking! Especially Thai, Indonesian, Indian, Mexican and raw dishes. Cleaning! The preschool teaching experience is about 85% facilitating clean up and cleaning, and 15% singing , reading and playing, so I have a lot of experience cleaning quickly. I can also watch children. I love kids and they love me. I'm certified in CPR and First Aid, I love to story tell, do science projects and do messy art with kids. Help with whatever you need!

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Laos, Mexico, Spain, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States