CURRENT MISSION

My mission is to boldly explore the vast wonders of Tel Aviv, meet wonderful new people, share lunch and attempt clumsy conversations in Hebrew.

ABOUT ME

Firstly, let me tell you that I love taking naps, wandering through cities, sitting by statues and people watching while occasionally writing in my journal. I'm also a fan of having one on one conversations with friends and new people. I'm whimsical, sometimes dark, and a tad eccentric (if being eccentric is enjoying playing jacks and blowing bubbles). I am almost always friendly. I love building connections with people, laughing and sharing stories.
Other details:
I'm a student. I'm currently in the final year of my undergrad program in speech and hearing sciences at Portland State University. There, I also study Modern Hebrew. I love learning!

PHILOSOPHY

I don't know that I necessarily have a personal philosophy. Why do I live my life? Curiosity propels me forward. It keeps me awake and humming. If I'm curious and following that curiosity like a cat follows a piece of yarn I am truly happy. I live for connections as well and for new experiences. I crave adventures--the sometimes easy going, meandering around the town, discovering local plant life and chatting with folks I don't know kind of adventures.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Right now I cannot host anyone since I am not currently in Portland. At the moment I am in Israel. Afterward, though, I would love to share coffee with anyone passing through Portland.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm new! I've never done this before but hopefully soon I will have plenty of info to share.

Interests

My interests? Gawd! I love entomology--beetles are for lovers! I love neuroscience, World of Warcraft, naps (previously mentioned), cats, vodka based beverages, Hebrew, plants, psychology, chatting over coffee or tea and obsessing over Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Sherlock, or TWD. I have far too many interests to type here right now. Hopefully this is a suitable micro sample.

• cats
• writing
• coffee
• shopping
• camping
• entomology
• medicine
• neuroscience
• psychology

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of the most amazing things I've seen/experienced happened while I was in the Negev. I went on a birth right trip and we stayed in a Bedouin camp. I woke up, for no reason at all, super early. The sun had not yet come up. I decided to go on a walk. I took off my sandals and felt the moist sand between my toes--it was amazing! I hiked up this dune like hill. I was a little more than halfway up when the sun spilled down over the top of hill and heated up the sand. The light made everything gray, blue, pink and lavender. From the top of this dune/hill I could see everything for what seemed like forever. It was magically feeling. I saw camels in the distance. I felt like it couldn't possibly be real but it was. I felt so blessed. I still feel blessed to have experienced such an amazing moment. On that trip we visited "holy" places. People had spiritual experiences. Mine was in the beautiful emptiness of the Negev.

Teach, Learn, Share

Sometimes one forgets what a city/town looks like as a stranger to it. Buildings blur into the background, misshapen trees aren't noticeable, restaurants with funny names go unnoticed and so on. But in the company of a stranger nothing is taken for granted. In the past, I have learned more about my home from people out of town than I had on my own. It felt as if I discovered the city all over again. That's a great experience! I hope that by spending time with a native that that person gets the opportunity to see their home through different lenses.

I hope to discover some intimate details about where ever it is I'm staying. I don't want to go to the tourist coffee shop or restaurant. I want to go to the place my host frequents. I also want to hear about my host's life in that place he or she calls home.