I'm 21 and I'm from Texas. My dad is a pastor, my mom is a teacher (5th-7th grades) and my older brother is married and is working on his Masters degree in economics. I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, but I was born in Austin, where I developed a love for nature; my first memories are of hiking in the woods and limestone cliffs of Austin.

I moved to Germany just a few weeks ago as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (a program funded by the US state department and the German ministry of education). I have lived abroad before (5 weeks in Santiago, Chile, 8 weeks in St. Petersburg, Russia, 5 months in Freiburg, Germany, and most recently 8 weeks in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. I love languages because you can learn so much from others. Everyone has a story and something to teach us. We are made for relationships!

I'm a curious person; every new piece of information brings me joy. I think this might have started when I was home schooled, because I could pursue my interests from a young age. As a result, almost everything interests me. I approach the world with a deep thoughtfulness, a sense of humor, and a glass-half-full mentality. In my free time, I like being outdoors, deep conversations, writing poems, and cooking international food.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Pretty much the same reasons as everyone else! I am poor, I like to travel, I love meeting new people. :)

When I explore a new city I like to:
-Wander the streets a bit
-Meet locals and ask them about life in their city
-Find museums or buildings that help me imagine what it must have been like for its former residents too

Interests

• cats
• fish
• aquaria
• arts
• modern art
• acting
• ballet dancing
• waltz
• ballroom dancing
• cooking
• thrifting
• politics
• pottery
• folk music
• piano
• hiking
• kayaking
• christian
• history
• international relations
• philosophy
• religion
• cultural immersion
• linguistics
• ballet
• biking
• costumes
• healthy food
• accordion
• local history
• philology
• christianity
• walking around
• debate
• nature walks
• old buildings
• ancient cultures
• paddleboarding
• aquascaping
• international food
• mountain hiking
• chiropractic
• phonetics
• writing poetry
• hiking in the mountains
• phonology
• quirky things
• soviet kitsch

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Song: "Firewood" by Regina Spektor
Favorite Musician: Gregory Alan Isakov or Wolfgang Müller
I also know a oddly large number of Russian songs by heart

Favorite book: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Favorite series: Lord of the Rings

Favorite Films: 1. Everything is Illuminated 2. Goodbye, Lenin! 3. Hidden Figures 4. Nacho Libre
Favorite TV Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender (the original series)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Won $20,000 for a six-minute speech

What I Can Share with Hosts

-Rudimentary ballet instruction
-Learn to Waltz! (or a couple other dances I know)
-A plethora of accents / accent training
-Fun facts about Texas
-Crazy stories, chiefly from Amarillo and from Russia
-How to doodle an armadillo

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Czech Republic, France, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, Germany, Russian Federation, United States