Hey everyone! I am Julia, I work at Columbia in environmental science. I have a cat. I'd probably like to meet you.

*Note: I HAVE couch surfed/hosted since 2009 despite only having one reference! I just had to make a new one!* I surfed in Philadelphia (awesome experience!!) and hosted in Burlington.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The inclusive philosophy of the site and diversity the platform provides. I have also decided its important not to give into late-stage capitalism fear-mongering that can falsely incentivize us to become overly possessive and isolated. I am looking to expand my sense of community.

Interests

Yoga, cooking, people's stories, star gazing....poetry (especially Mary Oliver), comically (and sometimes tragically) writing science poetry (and sometimes-raps-yes, you can ask me about it).

I LOVE to run, bike, hike, share/create experiences involving awesome people and nature. I really enjoy wildlife( but am definitely not great on the classification part, so would love to meet any avid plant/bird people). I've been practicing mindfulness meditation since my first Thich Nhat Hanh retreat in 2012 and have since enjoyed time at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Western Mass. I enjoy listening to and reading Pema Chodron and Tara Brach, and talking with other people passionate/interested in meditation.

• yoga
• reading
• reading books
• reading and writing

Music, Movies, and Books

This is pretty random but I went to a live music yoga session at Amherst Center Yoga recently and there was a really cool local musician who goes by Fischercat, and he was great! I've never been to a yoga music session before but honestly, it was so fun. I recommend it. I'm all over the place with music and I dislike very little...from Joni Mitchell to Mogwai...I love the Magnetic Fields, Cat Power, Destroyer, Delta Rae, Ghost of Paul Revere (awesome band from my home state of Maine!). I like live music I can dance to as well as amazing musicians like Philip Glass, Nick Urata, Boards of Canada, Explosions in the Sky, Felix Mendelssohn, Brahms, Haydn, Yo-Yo Ma, and almost any piano music.

Books: The Moviegoer, Man's Search for Meaning, The Painted Drum, Nine Stories, Flight Behavior, Happy (A Book of Poetry by Margaret Atwood), Consider the Lobster, Anna Karenina, Clarissa, Citizenship Papers, The Beans of Egypt, Maine, In Watermelon Sugar, Peace is Every Step, and many more.

Movies: Masculin Feminin, Weekend, The Cat Returns, The Namesake, The End of the Tour.

[Radio]shows: Fresh Air, The Diane Rehm Show, Freakonomics, This American Life, etc etc etc...recently have been listening to to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast "Alice Isn't Dead". SO spooky.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

WWOOF France! I travelled to Paris and Dordorgne, France by myself and it was an amazing experience...I worked on a great farm and explored the gorgeous countryside with a big old backpack!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you some coding basics, explain how to make basically anything egg free (my allergy has not squashed my love for fluffy baked goods whatsoever) and explain how Algal cells swim!I love to learn basically anything and to share stories!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking skills, giggles, jokes.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Canada, France, Haiti, Japan, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States