CURRENT MISSION

to align my chocolates and center my cheese

ABOUT ME

"“If adventures do not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad." --Jane Austen

I just finished my masters in biological anthropology, but what I am really studying is primates (monkeys), behavioral ecology, and evolutionary biology. Therefore I am very into being outdoors, camping, hiking, kayaking, etc. I like to create things... lately, it's been papercutting, knitting, and just learning how to sew, but ultimately I would like to learn other ways of creating. I'm also very into using old things to create new things. Recently, that means getting old sweaters, unraveling them to knit new things :) I like to go out to eat (I LOVE korean bbq), but also to cook at home. I love dark beers. I enjoy live music shows. I'm not much of a night owl, I prefer to be up in the morning and in bed early, BUT sometimes people MAKE me go out and then I can have a good time. I am not very talkative in big groups and feel more comfortable with one or two people talking, laughing, having a beer or some wine and a home cooked meal.

I love being out on the water - swimming, kayaking, and recently sailing... it is my favorite time of year when I can enjoy those things in Chicago.

Also, even more recently, I started climbing and am very interesting in practicing, learning, and experiencing more of that with people that also enjoy it!

When I travel I love to explore grocery stores. I like to find local yarns. I love enjoying quiet early EARLY mornings with coffee in different places. I like extended stays when it is possible... becoming a regular somewhere new is a great feeling :)

PHILOSOPHY

Just to keep an open mind... about everything :)

My personal mission in life is to love WELL myself, my family, my friends, and other people in my immediate circle and to extend that circle as far as it can possibly go.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

So far I have been hosting. I haven't gone crazy and hosted too much, but people that seem to be really interested in hanging out and are open to seeing a side of Chicago that not many travelers get to see, are always welcome.

I finally surfed for the first time myself, on a sailboat in Providencia Island, Colombia.

Interests

good company, laughing, animals, nature, wildlife, sailing, dancing, kayaking, hiking, outdoors, hammocks, tea, coffee, good food, knitting, creating things, reading, learning, experiencing...

Music, Movies, and Books

music: My absolute all time favorite album is Van Morrison's Moondance... Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Manu Chao, Mano Negra, Feist, Ceu, Sonantes, Pink Martini, Roxette, Chavela Vargas, Cyndi Lauper, Bebe, Madeleine Peyroux, Sergent Garcia, Van Morisson, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Prince, Cultura Profética, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Amparanoia, Buika

books: too many to name - things fall apart, extremely loud and incredibly close, anything by Neil Gaiman and Stephen Jay Gould, children's books, I love the wrinkle in time series

movies: again, I'm the kind of person that loves foreign films just as much as I love cheesy dance movies...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

watching my friend's daughter being born into the world was probably the most inspiring and amazing thing I have been a part of :)

whale watched and kayaked in the San Juan Islands, snorkeled with a curious sea lion in the galapagos, climbed 100 ft trees in Belize, snorkeling in Belize (the spotted eagles rays are amazing), hanging out with monkeys is a gift every time I do it, and most recently learning to sail.

Teach, Learn, Share

❝Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can; there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.❞
‒Sarah Caldwel

I love all things textile, I just recently learned how to knit and I love it... If anyone is interested I'm willing to teach. I like to cook. I'm always up for learning new languages and interesting in teaching the ones I know English, Polish, and Spanish. But anything really...

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, Poland, Puerto Rico, United States