CURRENT MISSION

to understand the places people call home and how people connect with the land around them through interviews; to dissolve the boundaries between "us" and "them"

ABOUT ME

I used to live trash-free in Ann Arbor. That has changed here in DC, because the place does not support it from an infrastructural and social standpoint. So, I'm looking for something new to do. Ideas?

PHILOSOPHY

if we find peace with ourselves, we will find peace with the environment. if we find peace with the environment, we will find peace with ourselves.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first experiences couchsurfing were this past fall when I went on a cross-country roadtrip. I met some incredibly kind, gracious, and warm people. Couchsurfing, I can say positively, is one tangible thing that restores my faith in humanity.

Interests

cooking, biking, juggling, writing, the outdoors, soccer, soccer, ecological holism, peace, reading, photography

• writing
• photography
• diy
• environment
• ethics
• cooking
• technology
• reading
• juggling
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• soccer
• chemistry
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Trading Places, Pina, Twelve Angry Men

Music: Hindustani classical, folk, bluegrass, blues, adult contemporary, techno, electropop

Books: The most recent ones I have finished include Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie, and Deep Routes-The Midwest in All Directions by various contributors and essayists

Radio (I listen to radio shows more than anything else. Here are my favourite shows, in descending order...): The Story (by WUNC), On Being (by APM), This American Life (by WBEZ), Radiolab (by WNYC)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sloan Valley cave system in Kentucky

CERN in Switzerland

The penultimate space shuttle launch

Worked at NASA Langley

Sunrise in the Himalayas

The City of Detroit

Fifteen of the National Parks of America

The mountain gorillas of Uganda

Teach, Learn, Share

I love combustion chemistry and chemical kinetics, and am interested in air pollutant formation, aerosols, clouds, environmental ethics, the philosophy of technology, political theory, community organising, individual activism and so on.

I want to explore the liminal space between our increased understanding of the world and actually changing how we choose to live. I would like to continue to learn how to lessen my burden on the world, how to cook foods from different cuisines, DIY stuff. (I also want to strive to be a better soccer player.)

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, India, United States