I'm a 35 year old high school administrator that recently quit my job to travel indefinitely. After 13 years in education, I felt it was time to take a step back and reflect on my next steps instead of following the momentum of my career to whatever opportunity came next. I'm hoping this experience helps me reconnect with family and friends, understand myself and my values better, and learn from all of the new people and places I encounter along the way.

I had the chance to host several surfers from all around the world before I left on my adventure and it was a really wonderful experience and helped me learn a lot about what CS is all about.

I like to spend my time traveling exploring new places with a little planning as possible. I hope that approach helps me to find interesting trails, spots, music, and people that I might have missed if I overplanned.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I would love to spend my time traveling connecting with locals and understanding the local culture a level deeper than what I could get from walking tours and spending time with other travelers. I have also found that other people on CS are very open to authentic conversation and processing experiences together in a way that feels more enriching than small talk. While my preference is to hang out and get to know you and your neighborhood together, I am also fine with exploring on my own and giving you space if your schedule doesn't allow for much time to hang out.

Interests

• concerts
• education
• climbing
• hiking,
• education reform

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - I love live music and I've been to at least 500 concerts in my life and hope to experience live music around the world. Some of the bands that I've spent the most time listening to and seeing in concert are: Phish, Grateful Dead, Jason Isbell, Chance the Rapper, Leo Kottke, The Felice Brothers, Kings of Convenience.

Movies - Not really into movies but my most recent TV series that I've enjoyed were Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Shameless, Rilakkuma and Kaoru, Easy, and High Maintence.

Books - I love reading and hope to use my time traveling to make reading a big part of my life again. Some classics that I love are East of Eden and Sirens of Titan. More recently I've enjoyed The Sellout, How to Change Your Mind, Island of a Thousand Mirrors, and Dear Church

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My most memorable travel experience has been staying with a local family in Sa Pa, Vietnam and enjoying food and stories together.

My greatest accomplishment is probably seeing the same band in concert 116 times.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach - After 13 years of education, I'd be excited to share my perspective and what I've learned about the American school system. My experience has helped me learn a lot about mathematics, social-emotional learning, student motivation, education reform, and school leadership.

Learn - I would love to learn about the educational systems in other parts of the world, I'll definitely pick your brain a bit about what your school experience was like. I'm also very interested in the cultural norms around the world around relationships, mental health, and live music.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a decent cook with a couple of really great dishes. I specialize in breakfast so I'll likely offer to get up early and cook breakfast for everyone while I'm staying with you.

I love dogs, if you need help walking your dog, I'm happy to do that.

After years of working in mental labor, I am looking to develop some experience with manual labor and working with my hands. So, if you've got a project that could use a second pair of hands, I'd be happy help with that.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, England, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Viet Nam