USican expat, generally caught somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle Grande, by which I mean the Americas and Europe. Currently a PhD student at a German university, but am studying a Patagonian tree species. Don't ask how I got here.

I enjoy dancing to my own tune, trying to find a decent path through this mess we call life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The entire point of traveling is to meet people, whether you're local or just passing through town. I've met some truly excellent people through CS and it reminds me that humans are essentially good.

Interests

First and foremost, I am a nerd. I was that kid who always got in trouble for staying up past bedtime so I could re-read the Hobbit under the covers by flashlight.

I'm a tree-hugger, mostly in the figurative sense, but also occasionally in the literal. I've voluntarily spent entire summers working on the Gulf of Mexico and the Missouri River, suffering biting insects and heat and freak thunderstorms for the sake of studying threatened birds. When I'm stuck inside for too long, I get by with nature documentaries (holla, David Attenborough!).

My favorite forms of self-expression are writing, photography, and painting, but it's not an exhaustive list: I also draw, and drunk-dance, and sing very loudly in the car.

I'm fairly quiet, but one of my favorite things to do with other humans is to have long conversations about weird topics. I especially love hearing true stories, about childhoods and home countries and tales from the road.

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm not super picky, and will give almost anything a try. But some of my favorites are:

Books - Harry Potter, Eat Pray Love, Second Glance, Walk in the Woods, Water for Elephants, Ender's Game, People of the Book

Movies - The Goonies, The Prestige, Dark Knight, In Bruges, Inception, Avengers, [the original] Star Wars, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Hook, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and about 90% of all Disney movies.

Music - Mumford & Sons, Imagine Dragons, City and Colour, Third Eye Blind, John Butler Trio, X Ambassadors. I readily admit to having terrible taste in music and am constantly looking for recommendations. Just keep any and all forms of Zydeco away from my ears.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Once upon a time I volunteered to help a graduate student who was studying pelicans. Running into a flock of almost-fledged juvenile pelicans (with 1.9-meter wingspans) and catching them with my bare hands was intense, awesome, and terrifying. And one of them bit me in the face!

Teach, Learn, Share

Mostly I want to share stories. I also enjoy helping people with their English, so don't be shy if you want to learn!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Australia, Canada, Germany, United States