I'm currently an EFL teacher and au pair in Paris, France, and will be until July of 2018. Then I’ll hoppefully be going to grad school, but we’ll see!
I've had this powerful urge to keep travelling since I was in high school, and I can't foresee that urge waning any time soon, so I figured I'd follow it until I decide on a new route to take, so to speak. While I have been notoriously bad at learning languages in the past, I'm attempting to learn and study French for obvious reasons. But besides the obvious reasons, I just love learning how a language develops, and the twists ans turns it can take.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

I like the idea of being able to stay with and get to know all kinds of new people who I may never have had the chance to meet otherwise. Getting the perspective of someone who's a local to an area is invaluable, too, as far as directions, activities, venues, etc. go.
I feel like there's a lot of room for growth and new opportunities when you get to stay with people you don't know. Ya never know what you'll be exposed to, or what new things will fall into your lap.

Interessen

I love hiking, reading, going to see live music, art shows/museums, being a hands-on type of traveler, getting to experience the local world, bungee jumping, eating good food, biking around, a good cup of tea, and hanging out in general and just talking is always a much loved thing in my world, too.

• arts
• dining
• wine
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• cycling
• hiking
• bungee jumping
• teaching
• history
• languages
• language exchange

Musik, Filme und Bücher

Just a few of my favorite books are:

"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles" by Haruki Murakami
"The House of the Spirits" by Isabel Allende
and various stories by Clarice Lispector

Music-wise, so many things, but to name a few:

Karen Dalton
Patsy Cline
Babes In Toyland
Jana Hunter
Lower Dens
Blouse
Chelsea Wolfe
Sparks
Fiona Apple
Grand Puba
Jonathan Richman
Mountain Man
Motorhead
Nick Drake
The Wipers
Ty Segall
Kurt Vile
Jay Reatard

Movies:

The Fifth Element
Ghostbusters
Room
The American Astronaut
Adrift in Tokyo
What We Do in the Shadows

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Well, the experience I'll talk about was amazing for me personally, and helped me grow a lot as a person. Back when I was 21, I spent some time living and working with impoverished women in southwestern India, setting up women's empowerment groups and helping these women plan budgets and set goals that they were in charge of and used for various things. The women I met and worked with were incredible, and the experience has never left me.

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I'm always willing to share stories, a night out, a bottle of wine, and a good meal.
I also am a big fan of comedy, art, and music, so learning about other types of music/new bands, sharing music of my own, learning about different art techniques/artists, etc., is always a plus for me.
I really enjoy learning about the history of a place and it's people, too. Going out and experiencing the history and current identity of a place is super appealing for me. I'm happy to teach anyone about where I'm from, as well, and offer any support for a language exchange, too.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

I'm not sure exactly what this subject is trying to get at that's separate or different from the "Teach, Learn, Share" section, but I can share good company, respect for my host(s) and their home, my travel experiences and perspectives, and a good time if they're up to go exploring with me!

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Canada, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

France, India, Japan, United States