Hi! I'm Julia. I recently graduated from the University of PIttsburgh. I studied Neuroscience and Anthropology. I'm currently taking a gap year, working as a medical scribe and a bartender. I've been saving up money to be able to travel and am interested in meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and eating my way through Europe. I'm a sociable gal and love listening to people's stories, the amazing things they've accomplished with their lives, and learning about their values and customs. Culture fascinates me, as I love learning why different people do the same things differently and why. I've been fortunate enough to travel relatively extensively throughout my youth with my parents but now I'd like to travel more independently with more freedom. I will be attending medical school in August to become a physician. I can't wait to meet you!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm not on this platform to get a free night's stay. I want to be able to meet locals, to really get a feel and deeper understanding of a city that I'm staying in, and to get a different perspective of a city's pulse from a more nuanced and "insider's" perspective. Some tourists simply travel in order to "check off" various sites and places, but I'm interested in talking to and hanging out with people to really share stories and experiences that often get lost if you're simply staying in a hotel.

Interests

I'm a very active individual and love working out. I tend to eat mostly vegetarian at home in the US for environmental reasons but do eat meat when I travel. I take great interest in the history and attitudes of different countries' foods because there is often a deeper story and significance than meets the eye when it comes to food.

• books
• cooking
• yoga
• running
• movies
• traveling
• hiking
• philosophy
• reading books
• biking
• harry potter
• weightlifting

Music, Movies, and Books

m a huge book lover.

Recently read: Names for the Sea: Strangers in Iceland by Sarah Moss

Currently reading: Iceland Imagined: Nature, Culture, and Storytelling in the North Atlantic

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm an avid Harry Potter lover and played Quidditch for the University of Pittsburgh for four years during my undergraduate career.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am open to learning about anything and everything. I consider myself a life-long learner and am always awed by the amount of knowledge that I don't know.

I would love to share and teach more about my own culture, both Chinese and American.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would love to share a meal with you! I would love to buy some ingredients and cook a meal with you and chat over a glass of wine (or two!) Cultural exchange is often the best part of traveling to a new country, and I'm sure that I would learn just as much from you and you could from me about America.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, England, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Macao, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States