CURRENT MISSION

Studying German and enjoying life in beautiful München!

ABOUT ME

I come from a small town in Connecticut, read a lot, play the trombone, dream about owning my own coffee shop, and have an inordinate love for esoteric subjects like Middle High German literature.

I'm pursuing a degree in German Studies at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH and am studying at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München this year. I love to travel and experience new places, especially in Europe, where the cultural diversity is much stronger than in the U.S. Most of all, I like meeting people and hearing their stories.

My favorite things to do while traveling are meeting people, learning about local history, trying to speak the language, and going to the local symphony or opera house. Classical music has been a big part of my life but I love all kinds of music and cultural events.

PHILOSOPHY

"In dreams begins responsibility" - W.B. Yeats

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I just joined because I hope to make the most of my time in Europe by traveling as much as I can, and have heard about the great adventures my friends had via Couchsurfing. I look forward to having some of my own!

Interests

I love learning languages -- I speak German pretty well, and have just started learning Icelandic. (In the past I had a pretty good grip on conversational Spanish and Italian, but unfortunately, I have gotten very out of practice.) I also love learning about history. I enjoy literature, music, and theater. I bake a lot and have always been interested in learning metalworking.

• books
• literature
• theater
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• shopping
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• metalworking
• music
• classical music
• opera
• history
• languages
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

In terms of rock and pop, I am a huge U2 fan and also love Elton John, Madonna, The Cure, and pretty much anything that's good. I also like jazz and listen to a ton of classical music, particularly Baroque and contemporary music. My favorite composers are Gustav Mahler, J.S. and C.P.E. Bach, Claudio Monteverdi, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Steve Reich and John Adams. I like opera a lot, as well as musicals.Favorite books include Phantastes by George MacDonald, Moby Dick by Melville, anything by Philip K. Dick, and Iceland's Bell by Halldór Laxness... not to mention Beowulf and the Eddas.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One rainy day in Normandy, I visited the D-Day beaches with my family. The craters from the shells are still there, providing the imagination with a demonstration of violence and destruction that books or films aren't able to give.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can speak English and German and am happy to help others who are learning them. I'm always trying to practice my German so I can get better, especially with people from northern and eastern Germany whose accents I'm not quite as used to. And I'm always happy to help out in the kitchen! I'm a better baker than cook, but I like to cook too, and always like to learn new techniques. My specialties include angel food cake, apple pie and sweet potato casserole.

I think that pursuing any kind of knowledge, from abstract topics to practical skills, is one of the purposes of life so I like to learn about anything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Italy, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States