DISCLAIMER: For me Couchsurfing is cultural exchange, not a dating/hookup app. Please respect my opinions on this. I am here for friendship ONLY.

*Currently on the road!*
I'm an active world traveler and am currently journeying to finish visiting every state/province in North America (67 down, the rest may take a while 😅). I have an equal passion for exploration and observation . . translation: I would be just as satisfied hiking a 14er as I would be with sitting in a local coffeeshop whilst people-watching.

My family hosted 9 foreign-exchange students throughout my childhood, giving me a certain appreciation for diverse culture; yet I ever-so crave a deeper expansion on culture and experiencing new things first hand. I'm equally outgoing and reserved, so I typically end up being a mood-matcher.
I'm tall and quite pale.

*Celiac foodie!*

Instagram: @lexexplores

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love all things local, and I believe that the only way to truly expand one's understanding of "local life" is to experience it first hand.

Interests

• culture
• writing
• books
• coffee
• music
• hiking
• food
• nature
• learning
• meeting new people
• diversity
• celiac
• all things local

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Daniel Caesar, RKS, Miguel, The National, CAKE, Frank Ocean, HER, Badbadnotgood, Eric Whitacre, Tom Meish (endless)

Books: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Doug Adams), The Martian (Andy Weir), The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg), The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), The Declaration of Independence ([mostly] joking)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I studied abroad in South Korea during my final summer of college. In my "World Culture" class, there were foreigners from 15+ countries alongside me. Weekly we would go on these wildly cool adventures, including making Rice Wine in a small village a few hours from our University; weekending in Japan "as the locals do;" and taking part in Tae Kwon Do lessons at a prestigious, champion-forming school high up in the mountains. This, in particular, was one of my favorite memories.

The busses could only take us so far up the mountain before we had to trek the rest of the journey, so we were already sweating by the time we arrived. We were told there would be "winners" at the end of class, complete with medals for 1st-3rd places -- all for this single action-packed day, but it certainly wasn't ONLY one day; it was ONE FULL day . . . a very long, tiresome day. 😅 I truly think the only thing that kept most everyone going was hope to win a medal, while I, on the other hand, *knew* there was no way in hell I could possibly win, so I decided to just have a blast and try to maybe learn a few things (foreshadowing!!!).

To cut to the chase, you guessed it! I somehow managed to be deemed "Grand Champion" by the head coach. My actual reaction was, "SERIOUSLY?!" as the entire class burst into laughter. It was later translated that the coach thought my positive attitude + enthusiasm + "decent skill" (whatever that means) is what set me apart in our class of 63.

Needless to say, I absolutely claim bragging rights, and I'm pretty dang proud of that medal, though it definitely weighed down my carryon on the way home. 😜

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm learning Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Arabic. Entiendo español, pero no hablo mucho.

My goal in life is to learn 1-10 in as many languages as I can.

Show me what YOU think it means to be a local, and I will show you how to fake a Canadian accent.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have basic cooking skills, organizational and cleaning skills, and a passion for helping with whatever I can. I'm more than willing to extend a helping hand.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Liechtenstein, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Myanmar, Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States