I hail from North Carolina, the state of pine forests, mountains, AND the beach, which means I inherently love being outside and hiking.

I've always loved traveling, but was set on going to graduate school after undergrad. I took a 2 week trip around Iceland with a best friend in a camper van that instantly changed my mind to keep traveling for as long as possible. There is too much of the world to see, and too little time!

This brings me to Réunion Island, where I'll be spending 7 months teaching English and hopefully doing lots and lots of exploring (and also trying to not feel guilty about abandoning all "real-world" responsibility oops)!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I believe there's a very special type of person who is willing to give their time and open up to complete strangers for cultural exchange. The world has recently become even more closed-off, and I think we need to make more space to learn from each other and broaden our world views.

I spent my first semester studying abroad in college city-hopping. It wasn't until I WWOOFed for the first time that I realized the value in (and how much more fulfilling it is) staying with locals and taking time to really get to know a place.

Interests

• live music
• hiking
• scuba diving
• wwoof
• biking
• public health
• vegetarian cooking
• herbology
• horticulture

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Pretty much anything, but especially the nostalgic bands? The faves are Belle & Sebastien, Mazzy Star, Rhye, Cat Stevens, Buena Visa Social Club, anything from the 90s, and of course bluegrass and folk music from NC :_)

Movies: Can I say LOTR? You just can't beat that NZ scenery.

Books: Currently aiming to get through all the Murakami books! But pretty much anything fiction.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent one summer working on an American naval base in Japan. I found out a hack to seeing Mt- Fuji for free was signing up as a "trip leader," which meant an all expenses paid training climb. Chaos and slight panic ensued as I soon realized I'd be climbing Mt-Fuji with 10 strong sailors during off-season (read blizzards). Was still worth it though.

Teach, Learn, Share

I live for funny travel stories. I'll share mine if you tell me yours! I can also share some horror stories, because I have plenty of those, too.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking, sharing music, book, and podcast recommendations! A hiking buddy or someone to explore with!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Belize, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Uganda

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States