CURRENT MISSION

Explore and experience the world through all and any means possible

ABOUT ME

I grew up in San Francisco, CA, USA, attended university for some time but then figured out that traveling was never going to happen on its own! Began 2012 by living and working in the French countryside for two months, which greatly improved my understanding of the language. But after having "backpacked" through Paris-Bruxelles-Amsterdam, linguistics and something in the line of hospitality is what I'm leaning toward. I want to contribute to something greater, and I want to have a impact on the lives of those around me. Still trying to figure out how to go about doing that. Maybe the answer will come to me after Southeast Asia. It's definitely not time yet to settle down.

PHILOSOPHY

I truly hope to expand the notion of an "American" whilst traveling abroad. I abide by customs of other cultures (with the help of locals), I observe quietly, don't attract unwanted attention toward myself, I'm eager to learn of the varying cultures and people that inhabit this planet, and the animals, too, etc.

Take life as it comes. Stay optimistic. Everything is an experience, you either learn from it or you don't. Appreciate the company you're in. If you aren't happy with life, do something about it, like buying a one-way ticket to a country to find out what you're good at and what you love! Haha

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

It's understandstood that CS is not a free ride. The goal is to interact and share ideas and values with one another, especially since cultures can be extremely different, making it that much more interesting. I'll do the dishes, help clean around the house, and then ask you again if there's anything I can do to help

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Have had the pleasure of being hosted by some great people in France, Taiwan, India, and meeting countless others along the way

Interests

baking, cooking, gluten-free, running, yoga, gardening, knitting, snorkeling, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, hiking, rock climbing, traveling, red wine, biking, sheep's milk yogurt, spicy thai food, farmer's markets, america's test kitchen, linguistics, philosophy, anything and everything about the french language, agriculture, sustainability, daydreaming about opening a bakery, physics, astronomy, ancient history, mycology, orcas (killer whales)

• animals
• ethics
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• wine
• red wine
• baking
• yoga
• running
• gardening
• traveling
• knitting
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• snorkeling
• sports
• rock climbing
• agriculture
• astronomy
• history
• physics

Music, Movies, and Books

The Alchemist, Alice In Wonderland, Born To Run, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Catch Me If You Can, The Illustrated Man, A Short History of Nearly Everything, The Tattoo Murder Case, Roald Dahl, my linguistics textbook from college, Women At Point Zero, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy, Harry Potter series, atlases, Dune

Amélie, The Edukators, Simply Martha, Chocolat, The Bourne Trilogy, Sunshine, Elizabeth, Gladiator, Serenity, The Thomas Crown Affair, documentaries, Donnie Darko, The Last Samurai, The Last of the Mohicans, Princess Mononoke, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Akira Kurosawa, Ong Bak, Saving Private Ryan, Underworld, The Big Lebowski, Breakfast At Tiffany's, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Motorcycle Diaries, The Matrix, The Science of Sleep, The Andromeda Strain, Midnight in Paris, Frida, Fight Club, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, Inglorious Basterds, Fargo, The Darjeeling Limited, Pulp Fiction

Samurai Champloo, Firefly, How I Met Your Mother, Discovery Chanel, cooking shows, Planet Earth, Blue Planet, PBS/Nova, The Ultimate Universe, Archer, Game of Thrones, Band of Brothers

Bonobo, movie soundtracks, Debussy, Mozart, Porcupine Tree, Soundgarden, CCR, Cafe Tacvba, Noir Désir, IAM, Minus The Bear, The Mars Volta, Luscious Jackson, Atmosphere, Do Make Say Think, Pelican, Ki: Theory, Foo Fighters, Incubus, Miles Davis, Zero 7, Reverie Sound Revue, Jose Gonzales, Queens of the Stoneage, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Explosions in the Sky, Isis, Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, Hella, Audioslave, Incubus, Silversun Pickups, The XX, Thievery Corporation, Pink Martini, Nightmares On Wax

Thai and Indian are my favorites but I enjoy a wide range of foods, willing to try anything once! And cheese! I've just stumbled into the magical world of all things cheese (was in France, after all). All I can say is "wow" and "mmm"

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Uprooting myself and beginning a journey that is constantly changing directions. It has provided me with challenges from which I gain new perspectives and resolve in my ethics and morals
-Also, I have finally become proud of the fact that in response to the question, "Where do you live?" I have no set location to give; perpetually in a state of motion!

Teach, Learn, Share

An insatiable thirst for knowledge, soak up information like a sponge, though usually with pen and paper on hand as visual aid. I love being able to pass on things I've learned to others who are interested, like cultural customs, recipes, sports, how-to's, language, personal stories--basically any exchange through human interaction, hah

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cambodia, India, Taiwan, Thailand, United States