Hello!

We're a married couple who quit our jobs in Denver, Colorado and are spending the year traveling around the world. Lizz was a university professor who taught English literature, humanities and writing courses, and Jared has had a variety of jobs in university student advising. But that's old news. Currently Jared is an aspiring novelist and Lizz loves to write poetry, both of us obviously love traveling and meeting new people, tasting new foods, and seeing new sights.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We're on Couchsurfing because we think it's a great way to meet people and better experience the places they live. In the old days, it was easier to meet people at hostels, but now everyone is just on their cellphones (haha) all the time and not up to chat as much. We like our cellphones too, but when we're traveling we want to talk and get to know people and places from the inside.

Interests

Traveling (surprise!), reading, talking, cooking, trying new foods, writing, dancing, playing basketball (Jared), having a laugh or two, watching movies, philosophical discussions.

• humanities
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• dancing
• cooking
• recipes
• news
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• basketball
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Lizz:
Music: Folk music, electronic music, reggaeton, Spanish guitar, top 100, traditional Irish music

Books: Many genres, especially 19th century British literature, science fiction/fantasy, contemporary American fiction, graphic novels.

Movies: Documentaries especially, and foreign films. Right now I'm enjoying TV shows like Game of Thrones, True Detective, and House of Cards. We're both Sci-Fi fans and some favorite shows are Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek (TNG).

Jared:
Music: Indie rock, American folk, ambient electronica, classic rock, Radiohead and Pearl Jam

Books: Science Fiction, graphic novels, Postmodern American fiction, lots of other genres

Movies: I'm with Lizz on this one - I like documentary films and foreign films and right now am into several popular television and Netflix series. I've especially liked The Wire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Jared: I trekked across the Mauritanian desert on a camel for a week with three teenage guides. And lived to tell the tale.

Lizz: I recently I ate a cicada.

Teach, Learn, Share

Happy to help anyone with English language learning. We want to practice our Spanish. Lizz can cook passably but would love to learn new recipes or techniques. Jared can reach tall places and hand you things from the top shelf, or help you with your jump shot in basketball. Both of us write and would love to share what we've written or read anything you've written (we can edit something for you too if you want).

In addition to these specifics, we just love to talk with people and share stories, views, and ideas. We don't find any subjects off-limits, mainly because we're able to discuss anything respectfully and we value hearing others' opinions (even if they're wrong - haha).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Our easy-going, flexible, friendly natures. Good English language conversation, moderate Spanish and French (Jared) language conversation. Lizz knows "Bonjour" and "Au Revoir." Book/music/film suggestions. A curiosity about your home city and a willingness to explore some of it with you or just do our own thing and not interrupt your schedule. We are very respectful of other people's spaces and their time.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Senegal, South Korea, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Luxembourg, Mauritania, United States