I'm a competitive powerlifter, cosplayer, sci-fi nerd and PC gamer. I grew up in NC, then lived in Istanbul for 3.5 years, finished my degree back in NC and now I live near Seattle. I also have two cats named after Star Trek: The Next Generation characters: Geordi and Guinan. And I enjoy making my favorite comfort meals more nutritious yet still flavorful.

After I returned to the states for my degree and living in Seattle, I didn't travel internationally for about 9 years. I changed that last year visiting Stockholm for 2 weeks. Now I'm looking forward to at least 1 international trip each year.

Lastly, I'm passionate about advocating for marginalized groups' to have equal rights.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To learn from others as I travel and to challenge myself to try something new along the way.

Interests

Competitive powerlifting: I first began lifting around age 15 with dumbbells and typical gym equipment. In my late 20s, I challenged myself to learn how to squat, bench and deadlift incorporated in hypertrophy / bodybuilding-style workouts. I seemed to be more concerned about the strength I could achieve as I progressed in the gym so that's when I got into powerlifting. I competed twice last year and hope to compete 3 times this year.

Cosplay: I typically have chosen characters from Blizzard games, like World of Warcraft and Overwatch. This year I hope to expand my cosplay to include more comic book and anime characters.

Video games: I first started out playing on a game gear handheld console as a kid. I went a little overboard for my family's liking so I didn't have access to video games till I was on my own in my mid-20s. I proved to myself I was able to balance studying, work and playing WoW. Now I play when I've met my work and personal lifting goals, which loosely translates to about once per week.

• photography
• powerlifting
• video games
• traveling
• instagram
• sci fi
• star trek
• vlogging
• computers
• seattle
• istanbul
• kyoto
• stockholm
• tokyo
• intersectional feminism
• conventions
• tallinn
• helsinki

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: mostly electronica, hip hop/rap, symphonic metal, Turkish

Movies: sci-fi or action

Books: Because of my ADHD, I typically will listen to audio books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I earned my 1st don black belt in tae kwon do after 7 years of commitment.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
I recently learned more about a non-profit in the States called code.org and I'm looking forward to getting involved with them in order to teach K-12 kids how to code.

Learn:
Re-learning Turkish fluently, would like to learn Japanese as my third language. I'm also eager to learn basic conversational level of the countries I visit.

Share:
Travel and lessons-learned stories, recipes

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook some Turkish recipes that my family has passed down to me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Scotland, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Turkey, United States