CURRENT MISSION

My mission is to go out into this world ready to affect and be affected by it. I'm ready for anything. I am an extremely passionate person intent on living life with no regrets, and sharing stories with everyone I meet.

ABOUT ME

I'm 27 years old, and I am currently living in Boulder, Colorado, USA. I moved to Boulder a year ago to begin my graduate studies at the University of Colorado. Right now I am pursuing my masters degree in Journalism with a focus on media production and management. I have a passion for telling stories, and for this reason, I have found an even deeper passion for travel. To understand the best way to tell *my* story, I know that I have to see how those the world over, tell theirs. I find travel inspiring and invigorating - just planning this next adventure has me on a high that is so beautiful to feel again. I'm backpacking through Thailand from October - December, working on a photo-essay for one of my courses as well as doing research for my final thesis. Ideally, I would like to find someone who could show me around - and anyone who loves photography would be fun too! I also love good food, drink, live music and dancing and would be excited to explore the city's best spots.

PHILOSOPHY

Over the past few years I have come to appreciate my potential impact more than ever before. I have come to realize that my choices and my interactions affect the world beyond myself more than I could ever fathom. With this newfound understanding, I have strived to be intentional, conscientious and thoughtful in every choice I make, and every interaction that I have. Coming to this understanding is the reason that I applied for graduate school, the reason that I moved to Colorado, and definitely the reason that I am planning this next adventure through Southeast Asia. I long for the perspective I gained on my last trip abroad, and for the incredible human connections that one can make while traveling. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, and I strive to learn from every one of them I am lucky enough to encounter.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

As of now I'm just surfing. As soon as I get settled in the city and have a couch, I definitely plan on hosting.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven't had any experience Couch Surfing yet, but I'm very eager to try it. When I set up my profile in 2010, we ended up having to change our travel plans, and couldn't stay in the places that we had originally planned to. This time, I'm backpacking alone, so having someone to stay with and/or show me around a bit would be so helpful.

Interests

Yoga - all types; reading; writing; coffee; sleeping under the stars; people watching; travel; music; sharing meals, sharing culture and sharing stories; film; photography; videography; volunteer work; dancing; camping; hiking; backpacking; canoeing, sailing; laughing; eating; meeting and keeping great people in my life; being the friend I would love to have.

• culture
• writing
• photography
• dancing
• dining
• coffee
• yoga
• drinking
• politics
• trivia
• reading
• traveling
• volunteer work
• bouldering
• music
• live music
• hiking
• backpacking
• canoeing
• camping
• surfing
• sailing
• communications
• gender studies
• journalism
• volunteering
• beaches
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: American Beauty; Fargo; Closer; Juno; Garden State; Wall-E; Finding Neverland; The Departed; Atonement; Tommy Boy; Love Actually; Silence of the Lambs; Star Trek; Slumdog Millionaire; The Dark Knight; The Hurt Locker; Inside Out;

Music: Jason Mraz; Regina Spektor; Portugal. The Man; Queen, Ingrid Michaelson; The Beatles; Feist; The Script; Florence and the Machine; Brandi Carlisle; Sara Bareilles; WALK THE MOON; Passion Pit; Magic Giant; Lake Street Dive; Lady Gaga; Keisza; Beyoncé; Ball Park Music; Pentatonix

Books: The Great Gatsby; Lord of the Flies; Brave New World; Me Talk Pretty One Day; Slaughter House 5; Galapagos; Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim; Fight Club; The Bluest Eye; Beloved; The Green Mile; All Quiet on the Western Front; All Harry Potter; Cloud Atlas;

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Because my Dad worked for American Airlines for much of my life, I have had the privilege of seeing a lot. Some of my very favorite things that I've seen are the coral reefs of the Caribbean, the Rockies from the peak of a 14,000 ft mountain, and the beautiful untouched lakes of northern Minnesota.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am a sucker for trivia on practically any topic. I love to learn and have stimulating discussion. I love to be challenged and to be taught to think differently. I know quite a bit about cultural theory, gender studies and media studies/production. I love to discuss that knowledge with those who like to think deeply, and finding those people is the thing that I am most excited about for my travels. I would really love to learn more about Thai culture - about the politics and social issues that are rising to the surface nowadays. I would also like to learn about how the gay and transgendered culture is received there. The gay-rights movement that is occurring in the United States is one of the focuses of my studies, so finding out how other countries are confronting these issues would be fascinating and invaluable to me, and to my studies while abroad.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am certified to teach yoga, as of last spring, so I could lead a little yoga session. I haven't had a lot of practice teaching, as I haven't had time to since I've been in Graduate school. But, I have a very strong personal practice, and if it were a small amount of people, I'm sure that I could lead us through some beginner - intermediate postures and a slow flow. I would love to do this outside on a beach at some point while I'm traveling!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, United Kingdom, United States, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States