CURRENT MISSION

to have as much fun as possible.

ABOUT ME

I juuuust graduated from the University of Vermont where hopefully after paying a ridiculous amount of money I've ended up with a little practical knowledge of how I can make the world a better place, particularly in the field of sustainable agriculture, sustainable food systems and food security, as well as revitalizing local communities.

PHILOSOPHY

That everything is temporary. That one should always strive for good. To find beauty in unexpected places. To be absolutely deliberate and conscious of our impact on the earth.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Relocated an hour north of Burlington to farm, where I'd love to host/feed weary travelers. Sunshine, veggies, and rustic livin' abound.

I've been host a few times in Burlington and it was really fun. I believe that there are wonderful, positive people in the world who would like to see more giving instead of taking, exchange garden vegetables instead of currency, and that the best places to visit usually are not found in the guide books.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Although I've never "officially" couch-surfed, I try to lend a hand to strangers as much as possible and have been guest to amazing hospitality when I've been on the other end. I have WWOOFed and HelpEx'ed and found both to be incredible, and hope to do more of the like in the near future. I love playing tour guide to friends whether I am in Boston (my hometown) or Vermont anyway, and strangers are friends you haven't met yet... right?

Interests

I love art in any form, especially music (even though I can't sing to save my life or play an instrument), photography, and poetry. I like riding my bike down big hills and feeling like a million bucks, or riding up big hills and feeling like a million bucks. I like to strike up conversations with strangers and am not afraid to say what's on my mind, and I like people who defy social norms or who thrive in awkward situations (like me). I like bundling up for cold weather and I LOVE COFFEE. The most satisfying feeling is cooking a great meal with ingredients from a backyard garden and eating it with friends, sharing wine, bread, and laughs. I like throwing a jazz record on and reading a book but I also like dancing the night away to bad top 40 music. I can get lost for hours in antique and thrift stores, and I am infatuated with abandoned farmhouses.

• arts
• books
• poetry
• singing
• photography
• beauty
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• coffee
• gardening
• thrifting
• reading
• music
• jazz
• cycling
• agriculture
• languages
• tourism
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite movies: Princess Bride, anything directed by Wes Anderson or Pedro Almodovar, Wet Hot American Summer

Books: The Little Prince, Ishmael, Holes, Kurt Vonnegut, poetry, Lolita, Gogol short stories, Everything is Illuminated

Music: Pixies, Django Reindhart, Beirut, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Velvet Underground, anything with a banjo, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, I could go on for a while here...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Shepharding a flock of sheep and goats in the hills of Tuscany. Whizzing past the Green Mountains on my bike. Driving down Memorial Drive along the Charles River in Boston with the windows down and singing songs at the top of my lungs. Picking olives in Torvizcon, Spain. The Tate Modern in London. Participating in the Bioneers Conference at Findhorn, Scotland.

Teach, Learn, Share

My expertise is in environmental issues. I also love discussing philosophy and poetry. I can show you how to make a mean compost pile and compose a photo. I also love languages and will try my hand at conversing in any language I've studied or been exposed to at some point in my life (Russian, Italian, Hebrew, a little French and Spanish but not much).

I'd love to learn more bike maintenance, how to preserve food and be a better gardener, and how to play the accordion.