CURRENT MISSION

To explore and learn as much as possible!

ABOUT ME

I'm an American who grew up in the Virginian suburbs of Washington, D.C. My parents were cops, but I grew up around the military community and as a result always had friends who had traveled many places. Perhaps this helped develop my lust for travel even though I didn't ever leave the eastern United States (unless you count Niagara Falls and Toronto... but you didn't need a passport to do that back then) until I was 21 years old. Since then I've been to Central America, Asia, and Europe.

I did my BA in Virginia, but moved to London for my MA in archaeology at UCL. Between the BA and MA I spent 1.5 years as a strength and conditioning coach for an NCAA DI program. After the MA I moved to China and am now heading into my third year teaching at Guangxi University in Nanning.

I've been in and out of China since 2007 for reasons ranging from visiting friends, studying Mandarin Chinese and teaching English and history. My Mandarin Chinese level is an HSK 4 (according to my tutor but I have yet to take the test), so I can get around and help others get around no problem.

I love being active. I started commuting to school by bike in London, and now in China I've discovered the joys of long-distance cycling trips. I went to uni on a hockey scholarship (that's FIELD, not ice) and have been playing many sports my whole life. I was ecstatic when a legit gym opened up close to the GXU main gate this past year.

That being said, I've also got a nerdy side and enjoy learning very much - so much so that I plan to go back to school (next year?)!

PHILOSOPHY

Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been introduced to Couchsurfing through a couple coworkers who have hosted surfers. They've had positive experiences, and I've had positive experiences meeting the CSers who have stayed with them. Because of this I'm willing to give it a try! It seems to be a great way to meet people, experience places through the eyes of a local, and save money (currently paying off a student loan :(...), so I'm excited to join the community.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None yet except meeting some members of the community/ hanging out with CSers who have stayed with my neighbors

Interests

Sports: many but in China I'm running/cycling. I've cycled in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and China. I've run both the Paris (2012) and Singapore Sundown (2013) marathons.

History/archaeology: still waiting for my chance to dig in China...

Travel: Basically, if I haven't been there I want to go and I want to hear about it.

COFFEE.

• coffee
• running
• coach
• traveling
• socializing
• drums
• cycling
• sports
• hockey
• teaching
• history
• language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

I like a wide variety. Perhaps that is something we can talk about ;)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is a toughie...

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm open to doing language exchange.

If you're interested in history, and my schedule allows it during your stay, I can give a tour of the Nanning museum (which has the largest collection of bronze drums in the world!).