MISSION

To be happy in life.

ABOUT ME

I'm a really nice person (don't they all say that :p), can be a bit shy and reserved at first, but when I open up to someone (sometimes it takes a little time!), I can talk quite a lot. I'm pretty relaxed about many things and I'm not picky about accommodations or food or whatnot.

And I would like to share one thing that irks me at times – I dislike it when people just skim the surface and don’t bother to uncover the true person that exists behind the face they put on to the outside world. Sometimes it can be the unspoken that is just as powerful, if not more so, than what is uttered. I know that one of the main points of CS is to have an open mind to enjoy the encounters with other CSers, but I entreat people to be more discerning! - Some people may seem more interesting than others only due to the sheer fact that they are not as private about their interests and thoughts, (as an aside >)but I tend to lament the fact that I probably will not have enough time in this life for two things – for all the good books and good people out there.

PHILOSOPHY

One of the enduring tenets I believe in is the Golden Rule - to treat others the way you wish to be treated. This doesn't even mean you have to be overly nice, just be yourself and be polite; those two basic principles will get you far on here.

Stay optimistic, it's not just a survival tool, it's a philosophy of life that can make you truly happy if you wish it. Life, like any other event in this world, is what you make of it. I also don't see things in stark black and white; there are many variations of gray.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have couchsurfed, hosted, as well as attended a couple of couchsurfing events while abroad. Out of my travels, I think that the experiences and people that have stood out to me the most were the ones I encountered while couchsurfing, and I mean this in a positive light.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So far, I have met some of the nicest people through CS so I'm a big proponent of this whole deal! I also believe it impacts your life in profound, yet perhaps at first, underlying ways - the people you meet collectively leave a footprint on your heart through their generosity and stir something restless up in your brain. Just be careful because once this starts, there's no going back - you might get addicted to traveling and meeting CSers all the time :p

*By the way, I do have something to add to this section. The people that use this website have a common interest of meeting nice/cool/fun people from around the world. But I am speaking from experience that I have posted in emergency groups and gotten responses from members that want to charge me for staying...that is definitely not the aim of CS and that is very dirty and underhanded to do something like that, especially in this type of environment. If I have enough money to travel in the first place, then I very likely also have enough money to afford some type of commercial enterprise that I could pay to house me (i.e. hotels, hostels, B&B's, etc.), hence I don't need those type of offers. Please refrain from messaging me if you are one of those people who try to take advantage of others' unfortunate circumstances. It is really not cool to leverage that to benefit your baser monetary inclinations. Sorry for my soapbox rant, but anyways I guess it doesn't matter because I won't have any qualms about reporting it. Just wanted to clarify though.

Interests

reading, writing, cooking, food/eating, sleeping, hanging out with people, watching movies, culture, pinterest, shopping, and traveling, of course :)

And here's a random list of things that I like that I wrote down once: reading, writing when the muse strikes me, listening to good music, watching fun or thought-provoking stuff, poetry, cheese, owls, trees, turtles, pugs, baby elephants, avocados, pistachios, dandelion clocks, antiques, mushrooms, art, etc.

If anything involves any one or a mix of the above, I'm probably either drawn to it or interested in it.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• environment
• cooking
• cheese
• shopping
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• tea
• foodie
• reading science fiction

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I usually like thought-provoking, deep movies, indie films, foreign films, fantasy, sci-fi, drama, documentaries, muppet/puppet films, stop motion/claymation and animated films. Oh, and sometimes I like musicals as well if the mood strikes. Some of my favorites are The Shawshank Redemption, The Labyrinth, Gattaca, The Departed, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Coraline, The Secret Garden, and Stardust

TV: Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Sopranos, Stranger Things, The Last Kingdom, Sandman, The Good Place, Westworld, The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance

Music: I like a variety - but I do love the rock genre the most - I like Placebo, Third Eye Blind, The Smiths, Pearl Jam, Tool, Lady Gaga, 10,000 Maniacs, Audioslave, Abba, etc.

Books: I absolutely LOVE reading; my favorite genre to read hands down is science fiction. after that, it's fantasy, foreign, and normal novels about peoples' lives. Sometimes period pieces or historical fiction are okay too. I have read lots of random things as well, including children's novels and translated novels. Some of my favorite books and/or authors are Ursula K. Le Guin (her The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed are among my absolute favorites), Cordwainer Smith (and his Rediscovery of Man series), The Mists of Avalon, Wrinkle in Time series, J.R.R. Tolkien, Italo Calvino, Middlemarch, The Bluest Eye, Ender's Game, Dune, Courtship Rite, Figuring, Chronicles of Narnia, Catch-22

Currently reading: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Attending the Sommer Nachts Konzert (Summer Night Concert) 2011 in Vienna at the Schonbrunn Palace - an open air concert of classical music played by the Vienna Philharmonic to a crowd of 150,000.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'll be able to share about literature, cultural exchange, cooking, data analytics, and anything philosophical/intellectual.

I like learning about culture, different places, different people. Also looking to pick up learning how to sew and knit..that might take a while and I'm not disciplined in my hobbies so let's see. Oh, and I always love new book recommendations!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, United States