CURRENT MISSION

Shrink the size of the world by guiding others to see that our differences really aren't so vast after all.

ABOUT ME

I enjoy genuine people and try to truly connect with people in my life, regardless of how long we will share the same temporal space. I like to drink and bullshit, or just bullshit, with people. I pretend to be edgy and try to get people into trouble, but in the end I always chicken out on whatever dare. Maybe I have spent too much time in societies with strong senses of rules. I appreciate anyone who will help me continue to break this within myself.

I have just moved to Moscow (August 2015) - having never been to Russia before. I am new to the area, language, culture, etc. I hope to meet people here to both learn about the area and to also create some lasting friendships. If you are available to meet up in Moscow and are willing to be patient with my EXTREMELY basic Russian skills, please get in touch with me! I am able to converse fluently in English and Spanish. :)

As of now, I am unable to host (noooooo!) due to my housing situation which is provided by my job. Hopefully this will change - and when it does, I will be hosting again!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted a few surfers and I look forward to surfing soon!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Most of my travel has been done before the age of couchsurfing (and the social media boom in general), however, I found the most kindness and authentic experiences came from local strangers who lived in the areas that I visited. I hope to be able to give back some of this good karma by hosting in my home; then I'll hopefully have some great hosts once I get back on the road!
I have had great experiences hosting so far. :)

Interests

I love to spend time on the water swimming, wakeboarding, and kayaking especially. Live music is spiritual food for me, and I love to dance even though I don't do it well! Cultural exploration enrichens life, and good conversation keeps things interesting.

• culture
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• yoga
• drinking
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• live music
• hiking
• kayaking
• surfing
• wakeboarding
• swimming
• communications
• teaching
• medicine
• language exchange
• beaches
• parks

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was travelling in Central America, I was kicked out of 3 different national parks in 3 different countries, but it was well worth it. Those are stories I would have to tell in person.
Lets see... I was taught to castrate pigs by a brain surgeon (no lie), I have been treed by another pig (not one I castrated...), and I once spent 3+ hours hiking along a rocky coast in search of a rumored pink-sand beach. I found it. :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I am an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher by profession and education and am always happy to help my surfers and friends with their English. I would LOVE to find someone to have a consistent language exchange with! I can also teach beginning Spanish, but really need to learn more Spanish myself! Also, any chance I get to practice Hindi is always welcome and I would love to learn more Chinese than the few words I know!

I also really enjoy doing yoga. I am not particularly good or advanced in my practice, but I really enjoy sharing what I know and learning from others!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Conversation and silliness are my fortes. I am not the most amazing cook, but can usually throw together a meal based on whatever ingredients I come across easily. I can also help anyone interested in learning English. Oh! despite whatever errors likely in this profile, I'm really good at editing written work - it's not the most exciting skill, but I've read some really interesting essays that I would have never come across by offering editing help.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Nicaragua, Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, India, Japan, Mexico, Romania, Russian Federation, United States