CURRENT MISSION

Life's short, live it up

ABOUT ME

I'm a 3rd grade teacher in China soaking up 7 week winter vacations and taking long summer breaks.

PHILOSOPHY

Life's way too short to miss out on what's going on. Get out of the house and see something!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm new to CS, but I hope to share my couch/spare bedroom. I love to cook for people, so odds are, when you're at my place, you'll get some fresh bread, beer, and something warm to eat.

There's an awesome feeling when you're a guest. It's every bit as equal to that of being a host. That feeling of being invited over. It sure beats going to a place and ending up on a two hour subway to nowhere because you were trying to understand what the four year old Lonely Planet was saying (ya, been there).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've used plenty of couches during my travels, but not nearly enough!

Interests

Cooking - people throw the term "foodie" around all the time. I don't know if that can describe my passion for food. I spent my high school years working in restaurants and had I not gotten credit for attending culinary school (2 years), I wouldn't have graduated. I love trying new things and cooking new things. Lately I've been on a bread kick. I've got my own sourdough culture going.

Football (Soccer) - I don't watch it on tv, but I've played the game my whole life. While it's not as competitive as I once was, I still get to play the game with my 3rd graders during both recesses!

Libations - beer and wine, oh how I love you. When I was in Oregon, I learned the fine art of beverage making. A buddy of mine introduced me to mead (honey wine) making and I shot off and started going nuts. I ended up having 5 different brews going on at a time. China has limited me somewhat, but don't you worry, next year, that yeasty smell of brewing will be all over my Chinese apartment!

Spanish - I would like to become fluent.

Politics and Debate - Everybody has them and it shapes how we view the world and ourselves. I don't like when the goal of a debate is to make the other person seem inferior. It's not about winning, it's about gaining perspective.

• arts
• culture
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• politics
• tv
• soccer
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Since I've started teaching, I've gotten into (most notably) Ernest Hemingway, Jules Verne, and Sinclair Lewis.

I love books about adventure. That's why I like Verne (minus 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - horrible book, way too much detail about flora). I recently read Undaunted Courage about Meriwether Lewis (Lewis & Clarke). In the 3rd grade class I've copied a book about explorers and that has become our Social Studies Book. It has over 100 explorers to read about.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Canada, India, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, South Korea, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Guatemala