I'm a current Naturopathic medical student, looking to deepen my understanding of the way humanity interacts with he world around them. I've got a few more years left in Portland before I decide if it's my forever home or if I'm better suited in a more rural area. Portland, being the place I grew up, has always been a safe haven, but the growing city has my anxiety levels up. I think of how much better i feel outside of the roaring highways and I have a hard time seeing myself existing happily in a big city.

Growing up in the northwest, I was very accustomed to camping and hiking trips with my family, and that eventually developed onto a deep love and respect for the wilderness. I always thought my calling was towards allopathic medicine, without even realizing there was a way to combine my deep love of natural solutions with a medical background. Naturopathy is the perfect field for me, and I feel so grateful to have found it, and to have been encouraged to pursue this passion.

Before deciding to go back to school, I decided I wanted to live abroad for a year in a culture entirely unlike my own. I had been really interested in South Korean culture for a lot of my college career and chose to teach English there from 2015-16. Although it was tough, I learned so much that year about isolation and being an observer. I became more comfortable traveling by myself, and made a lot of really fantastic connections in the process. Although it's been hard to find time to travel solo since starting school, I haven't given up on that desire. I also haven't given up on returning to Korea someday to potentially live and work again, but at the very least to visit.

I don't know why I chose to turn my timeline backwards but I'm just going to continue that. College was filled with the usual suspects- stress, overindulgence, poor time-management, and some bad judgement calls. Nevertheless, I had a pretty great time Oregon State, filled with a lot of friends and experiences I wouldn't change. An anecdote: my second senior year (victory lap heyy), I decided it would be fun to take a zombie apocalypse class. Having no idea what to expect, I was more than a little surprised when my teacher turned out to be an ex-marine with an INTENSE prepper mentality. Needless to say, I have since kept a bug-out bag and always keep any eye out for potentially infected humans.

I was also on the crew team at OSU, and although I enjoy pushing my physical limits, not even I could have endured that masochism for longer than a couple years. There were many practices where the majority of us would be puking out the window of the barn we practiced in, or crying because we couldn't hit our goal... Those are connections I'll cherish for the rest of my life, there are very few people I would trust to be that physically exhausted around. Once you've raced your first 2k together, it's hard to be anything but honest, and I'm honored to have shared that space with those phenomenal women.

I could go on and on about my life, but I think switching to hobbies is more practical. For me, there are a few common denominators in my life for the last 10-15 years: music, photography, athleticism, and climbing.

Music is huge for me, both playing and listening. I've played classical violin since I was 12, and picked up the ukulele when I was living in Korea. I love to sing as well, even if I'm not very good- you can find me at a Karaoke if I have a say in where the nights going. I have always been so memorized by all sorts of music, especially in how it has the ability to draw such strong emotions from people. I am always so fascinated to find out a person's musical preference, especially if I have no idea what they're talking about. A friend recently turned me on to 70's Ethiopian jazz and I could not have been more excited. I have never claimed to be an expert, so I'm always open to new music suggestions.

Photography is something I haven't been as able to pursue in the last couple years with school, but I still enjoy snapping photos when I can. I used to be really into portrait photography, and had a bunch of friends who were into cosplaying that would regularly model for me. I also really enjoy candid photography, and cityscapes... and nature, of course. I think it's so cool that we're able to capture literal moments of life onto a 2d image, it still blows my mind. Where ever I go, I like to take at least one picture, because if nothing else, it's a good way to jog your memory.

I feel like I briefly touched on athleticism with my college rowing experience, but beyond that I've maintained fitness. As long as I'm able to hike comfortably, I'm in decent shape. I used to be very dedicated to triathlon training, and although I respect the athletes that can self-train so diligently, I haven't been in the mood for self-torture for a while now. I still exercise regularly, but at a much lower caliber. I think what's really taken over my fitness, especially after I graduated college, was rock climbing. I technically have been climbing for about 10 years, but of course there were long stretches where I wasn't climbing regularly. It's been a huge part of my identity though, I find climbing to be meditative and therapeutic in a lot of ways, as well as being a great source of community. It's my favorite activity, and I hope I continue to grow into my abilities and face my challenges.

我为什么加入 Couchsurfing

I'm on couch surfing because I've had so many fantastic experiences with strangers in new places, and I want to make it an integral part of why I travel. I find meeting new people so stimulating and refreshing, and I love getting my paradigm rocked by someone with a completely different perspective than my own. There's so much that we all have to share with each other, and I love to listen to what people have experienced. Even if have a particularly unsavory experience with, it's still another piece to the giant puzzle that is humanity. I cherish those interactions that only last in one moment of time alone, and I think those are the ones that can teach us the most.

I think having the chance to truly get the feel for a new location is through the eyes of a local, and so I would be grateful to get the inside look from someone who opens there home for me. I also think it's a good opportunity for connections in the future, whether that be for traveling or just for being pen pals.

I'm so interested in forming connections around the world, and I hope others share my passion for interconnections.

兴趣

• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• rock climbing
• biology
• chemistry

音乐、电影和书籍

Music: I like it all, currently stuck in jazz for studying

Movies: Nothing touchy-feely, I've got too many emotions of my own. Give me a horror movie or a great action/adventure... or comedy, of course.

Books: I'm keeping it light since I spend enough time reading lecture slides, so fiction or easy-reading non-fiction are my genres of choice for now.

我做过的一件不可思议的事情

Watched Zoolander 13 days in a row.

教，学，和分享

music, language, stories, cooking, games, time.

我可以与沙发主分享些什么

Food and libations, potentially art.

我游览过的国家

Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands

我居住过的国家

South Korea, United States