I am an upbeat, sociable, human being with a fondness for the outdoors. I love exploring and adventuring around the world and in my own backyard. I've spent the last couple years going back to university and am now an elementary school teacher in the Victoria School District on Vancouver Island. I moved to Victoria over ten years ago to pursue my first degree at the University of Victoria. I fell in love with the city and never left. My partner Cody and I have been together for five years now and been hiking and trekking all over Vancouver Island. We are thrilled to finally be setting out together on our first big trip, Patagonia! We have both travelled extensively, but our travel plans have never aligned until now and I couldn't be more excited.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've joined Couchsurfing because my partner and I are spending the next two months in Chile and Argentina. We are really excited about the many parts of this trip, but one of those parts is meeting local people and experiencing local culture in the towns and cities we plan to travel to. I'm hoping we can connect with some local people that love hosting travellers through Couchsurfing. We are also looking forward to returning from our trip and being able to host fellow travellers in the future!

Interests

• education
• coffee
• reading
• live music
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• scuba diving
• trekking
• biking
• avocados
• marine life
• anything outdoors
• penguins
• cribbage

Music, Movies, and Books

Current favourite music: Frameworks, Leon Bridges, Bonobo, Odesza, Sam Smith, Bahamas, Alt- J, Glass Animals, and many many more. I've just made a playlist with all the music I listened to growing up and am really enjoying some classics like, Fleetwood Mac, Prince, Supertramp etc.

I'm a tv watcher and the recent shows I've been into are: Shameless, Scandal, Mind Hunter, and I can always watch a classic like Friends.

Books I've recently read or have always adored are:
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (I've got the second one on my Kobo for this trip)
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo (I love and have read most of his books)
- Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
- Game of Thrones Series
- The Book of Negros by Lawrence Hill
I also read a lot of young adult fiction so I know what the kids I teach are into and reading. Most recent titles include Pax by Sarah Pennypacker and Wild Robot by Peter Brown

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

While on one of the boats from the ecotourism lodge I was working at last summer, I witnessed a pod of resident orcas, a pod of pacific white sided dolphins and a humpback named Jigsaw all feed on the same swirling pool of salmon and bait fish. It didn't matter which side of the boat I looked at their were multiple marine mammals all feeding next to each other from the same source. The beauty of these creatures makes me cry almost every time!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share stories of hiking and trekking in the Pacific Northwest of Canada. I love discussing what education looks like in other parts of the world and being able to bring that into my practice as a teacher in Victoria. I love sharing and listening to music with people over a drink, coffee, or tea.

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, England, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Scotland, Taiwan, Thailand, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Wales