Hey! So a little bit about me is that I have been living in NYC for the past 5 years and its been an amazing experience so far. I do however, love getting out of the city and exploring upstate NY. I'm really close with my family. I have one brother who lives about a mile away from me with his wife and their two year old son - I try to see them at least once a week. I have another brother who lives upstate with his wife and their son, in the midst of adopting a young girl from Liberia. They happen to also live close to my parents who are in my hometown outside of Rochester, NY.

Before moving out to Brooklyn I got my undergraduate degree out in West Michigan (the sand dunes there are amazing by the way!) and then went directly to a graduate program where I earned my Masters in Art Therapy and Counseling in Chicago. Eventually I made my way over to Brooklyn where I'm currently working at Rikers Island as an Art Therapist and its honestly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life so far.

Overall, I'm a really rather chill, liberal person and I love getting to know people. I love to laugh, cook (specifically all different types of soup!), and make art. I'm currently working on a couple cross stitches and eventually encaustic painting which I'm really excited about!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have two cousins who are getting married - one in Italy at the end of June and the other in Greece towards te end of July. This left me with the option to fly all the way back to work for a week, just to return. After thinking it over I realized this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I will have about a week and half on my own and I truly believe the best way to get to know a different culture is to completely submerse myself in it. One of my favorite memories in Costa Rica was spending time with the locals and building new friendships.

Interests

• animals
• photography
• yoga
• walking
• puzzles
• music
• adventure travel
• art
• films
• food
• holistic health
• plants
• museum
• standup comedy
• watching films
• acro yoga
• bikram yoga
• hikes
• cooking and baking
• street photography
• hot yoga
• flying trapeze
• natural history museums
• visiting museums

Music, Movies, and Books

I would have to say my favorite movies right now would have to be...Jurassic Park, Fargo, The Family Stone, Whale Rider, Almost Famous, Snatched, Newsies, Die Hard, Boondock Saints, Amelie, and 500 Days of Summer.

Hmm ...well I love Ben Folds, The Beatles, Weezer, The Head and the Heart, Wilco, The Decemberists, Bob Dylan, Sigur Ros, She & Him, Imagine Dragons, Simon & Garfunkel, Flight of the Conchords, The Format, Belle and Sebastian, Mtes of State, Iron & Wine, Nirvana, Norah Jones, Scott Orr and 'Wagon Wheel' by Old Crow Medicine Show.

As for books.... The Girls, The Poisonwood Bible, Middlesex, The Glass Castle, Kite Runner, Thousand Splendid Suns, Water for Elephants, The Time Travelers Wife, Devil in the White City and I just started 'No Exit' that my mom recommended to me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

While I was in Costa Rica, my best friend and I went snorkeling. It was my first time and I was a bit nervous but as soon as I got the hang of it I was incredibly comfortable. I happened to be by one of the workers who was just exploring around and we found a giant sea turtle. As it swam by me I reached out and grazed his shell. It was amazing. Afterwards when I was hanging out with some of the locals and I shared this experience they were shocked because apparently its incredibly rare and a sign of good luck.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, Scotland