ABOUT ME

After finishing up my Master's degree in cold Ottawa Ontario, I decided it was time for some R&R & Adventure. With no real solid plans my first destination was Europe where I traveled overland from Bosnia to England. The price-point hit me hard so next I needed something a little more accessible: India (and I use the term "accessible" loosely here). After spending 3 months in the land of contradictions I met a fantastic group of friends whom I trekked the Himalayas with in Nepal. A quick flight to Bangkok has turned into 6 months in SE Asia: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Since I left Canada my brother got engaged to his Australian soon-to-be wife. Their wedding will be in March 2012 in Melbourne. So now I figure, I might as well head to Australia and pick up some work until the wedding.

If you asked my best friends about me they'd probably say something along the lines of "Chelsea will always be one of my best friends even though I haven't talked to her in 6 months. I know she's still somewhere over in Asia.. actually, I just saw a photo of her on facebook trekking in the Himalayas, so maybe Nepal? Regardless I know the next time I see her it's like we haven't skipped a beat. She's always smiling, and just a fun, positive person to be around. That's why I love having her in my life, with her it's easy."

PHILOSOPHY

I firmly believe that the future naturally progresses out of the present, so just go with it. So far I've been going with it, and now I'm here (which is anywhere) and I'm happy. :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm new to couch surfing but have heard so much of it's praise that I just gotta be a part of it!

Interests

"I like doing things." That sounds ridiculous but it's true. I like to spend my time doing new things, old things, the same things, odd things, conventional things. Whether it's going down to the Croatian Cultural Center to check out a craft fair, getting on the board for a day on the mountain, or spending the evening making a good home-cooked meal, I just like doing things.

• surfing

Music, Movies, and Books

I bought a Kindle before my trip and it is currently on my essential checklist. Passport, camera, Kindle. Nothing else matters. I've been able to read books that I've always wanted to and books that I didn't know I wanted to. I've been lucky to share books with friends and created a library of over 300 I can't wait to get through. Anyways, back to the question:

A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde
Kurt Vonnegut
Steve Martin's books Born Standing Up
Any Biography
I want to read some Tom Robbins and Jack Kerouac next..

Movies: I'm seriously lacking on my movie repertoire. It seems that in the past few years when I sit down to watch something I'll put on an episode of Mad Men or The Wire rather than a movie. But don't get me wrong, I'm not totally in the dark there's just a few must-sees I still need to get under my belt like Pulp Fiction and Lord of the Rings. I know I know! I'm working on it!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Trekking the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas. wake, Walk, wait. wake, Walk, wait.
2. Cutting down banana trees three times a day for Lakshmi, the temple elephant in Hampi India, and getting to know her trainer Raj and his family.
3. Road trip with Grandma. Phoenix Arizona to Victoria BC hitting Sedona, Grand Canyon, Vegas, Reno, Ashland, epic.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Philippines, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada