I'm originally from Minnesota, where I Nordic skiied, canoed, and hiked a lot growing up--a fun childhood! In college, I studied environmental policy, and became passionate about sustainable living at the individual and city scale--I'm really into minimalism, local foods, and shared streets. I also love hanging out at cafes, exploring new cities, and meeting people from around the world.

My fiance, Talhah, and I met in college during a backpacking trip on the Appalachian trail. He's half Ecuadorian and half Pakistani and grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He's spent a lot of time in both his parents' countries, as well as Peru, and loves traveling and learning about new cultures.

We're both friendly, clean, and respectful of others' need for quiet or anything else. We love meeting new people, exploring new places, and trying new activities and foods.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Talhah and I are backpacking around Europe this summer and are hoping to stay with couchsurfing hosts in the cities we visit. This is our first experience with couchsurfing--we're excited to meet locals who know and love each city and can share stories and recommend fun activities and great food!

Interests

• dining
• running
• traveling
• hiking
• backpacking
• engineering
• neuroscience
• public policy
• science
• road trips
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Talhah likes Kanye but my favorite music is almost anything from a musical. Favorites include Pirates of Penzance, Wicked, and Singing in the Rain--and we both love Hamilton!

Movies--I'm loving What's Up Doc, Goodbye Girl, and Song of the Sea right now. Talhah likes Donnie Darko, the Big Lebowski, Grand Budapest Hotel, and Superbad. We both love anything by Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers.

As for books, Talhah's favorites are Catcher in the Rye, the Great Gatsby, the Autobiography of Malcom X, and all of Roald Dahl's books. Emma likes the Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin, Ender's Game, the Kristin Lavransdatter series by Sigrid Undset, Nils, the Grapes of Wrath, the Sparrow, and so so many others.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've been to all but one state in the U.S.--just have Hawaii to go! This was thanks mostly to my family's love of road trips growing up. We traveled to national parks around the U.S. and Canada, but especially in the west--Glacier National Park is our favorite. During these trips, I have seen a mountain lion, gone white water rafting in glacier water, seen some of the oldest trees in the world (and got stung by a hive of wasps in the process), watched grizzly bears catching salmon in Alaska, and been to a place where you can have a snowball fight inside a volcano inside a lake inside a volcano (shout-out to Crater Lake!). We also made it to Trolltunga in Norway--a terrifying experience!

Talhah has been to Machu Picchu and dissected a human body. Not at the same time.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We'd love to share stories, friendship, and an open offer to return the favor if you're ever in/near San Francisco!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, United States