UPDATE: We both had our two doses of COVID vaccinations plus our boosters. We are requesting that Couchsurfers have these too before requesting to stay with us since Emily works in healthcare and will be exposed to vulnerable populations.

Hello!

My partner Ryan and I (Emily) are really stoked to be a part of the Couchsurfing community. We've only lived in SLC since June 2021, but we're ready to explore what this beaUTAHful state has to offer.

Emily is currently a family medicine resident at the University of Utah and is originally from the Dallas, TX area and lived there for 23 years prior to moving to Alabama for medical school. She spent two years living in Auburn (War Eagle!) and another two years in Birmingham. Growing up as an only child to Burmese-Chinese immigrant parents, she was instilled with a love for learning and traveling at an early age, where her parents emphasized the importance of knowledge and brought her along with them during their travels back to the motherland. She's passionate about holistic health/lifestyle medicine, health policy, and making this world a better place through building empathy and community.

Ryan is a mechanical engineer who loves outdoorsy, high-thrilled activities, such as mountain biking, dirt bike racing, and rock climbing. He is originally from a rural town in Wisconsin and moved to Birmingham for work for two years (where he met Emily) before relocating to SLC.

IG: @empoweredem
IG: @ryantbenck

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We've had wonderful experiences with homestays internationally and started using Couchsurfing domestically and fell in love with its mission. Therefore, we're hoping to give back and be more actively involved in the hosting side of CS!

Unfortunately due to our work schedules right now, we may not be the ideal host if you're looking to hang out. But we can always provide you a warm and safe place to stay and rest during your travels. We also love having good conversations and would be open to those, but we have very sporadic and long work schedules at the moment so it'll ultimately depend on your request dates. We also moved to Salt Lake City in June 2021 so we're relatively new to the area as well but may be able to give you suggestions of places to visit while you're here!

Please include in your requests the keyword "kombucha" if you've read this bio and are understanding.

Interests

• dogs
• photography
• cooking
• meditation
• drones
• hiking
• lifestyle medicine

Music, Movies, and Books

We're the least picky people when it comes to music, food, and books.

Currently on my playlist: Mumford and Sons, Chelsea Cutler, Bazzi, Bon Iver, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Drake

Current Book: The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills

Current Fav TV Show: The Queen's Gambit, The Handmaid's Tale, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Emily - Eat a (dead) tarantula when I backpacked in Cambodia!

Ryan - Rode ~4000 miles on a ~$500 motorcycle across the USA

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: meditation, lifestyle medicine/preventive health, healthcare policy & reform (more applicable to the United States, haha)

Learn: Absolutely anything. I'm always fascinated by random knowledge and love to learn, so whatever anyone has to offer.

Share: stories and thought-provoking conversations

What I Can Share with Hosts

Ryan and I started brewing kombucha together and if we're ever traveling by car, we can offer you some!

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macao, Mexico, Myanmar, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Dominican Republic, Poland, United States