CURRENT MISSION

Explore the world. Have fun trying new things. Learn by doing. Travel solo, use public transportation, see how local people live, make friends and memories from around the world, have adventures, experience different ways of seeing and being in the world, and share what I know.

ABOUT ME

I want to create new possibilities for myself and others, share different perspectives and help create a world where we can thrive. I seek out new experiences, see the good in people and am positive and optimistic. I served in the Peace Corps in Albania from 2006 - 2008.

PHILOSOPHY

Explore. Enjoy. Try new things. Take risks. Expand your comfort zone. Be positive. Be friendly. Give back. Pass it forward. Contribute to making life wonderful.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I hosted when I lived in Albania and Wisconsin. I have surfed in many countries including Portugal, Morocco, China, Thailand, Italy, Oman, and more.

Interests

I love to try anything new and experience the local culture. I am most interested in trying local food, meeting people with different life experiences, and getting a sense of how people live in different parts of the world. I think there is a lot we can all learn from each other and contribute to each other.

• culture
• dining
• cooking
• triathlon
• marathon
• traveling
• socializing
• kayaking
• windsurfing
• scuba diving
• skydiving
• rock climbing
• hang gliding
• paragliding

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was riding bareback on an elephant's neck attempting to give it a bath in the Mekong River in Laos when it decided to give me bath. It playfully kept trashing its head around in the water so much that I couldn't hold on and he flung me off (5 times!) sending me splashing into the muddy water. Ha! The local people just sat on the shore laughing.

I've completed a marathon and triathlon, went skydiving, windsurfing, hang gliding, paragliding, parasailing, rock climbing, white water rafting, and walked barefoot on fiery coals.

I saw Angkor Wat at sunrise, ice climbed out of a glacial crevasse in the Swiss Alps, went SCUBA diving in Hawaii, climbed the steep steps of the Great Wall of China, went kayaking in Ha Long Bay Vietnam, slept in a temple in Japan, built and slept in a snow hut in Minnesota, made Pad Thai in a cooking class in Bangkok, and more!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share travel stories, teaching methodology, and US culture. I want to learn cooking techniques from different countries and I want to see how others live around the world to share ideas.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Laos, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Oman, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Albania, Brazil, China, South Korea, United States

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