ABOUT ME

Having a good time working for the hotel workers' union in New Haven, CT, while I try to get out and bike and travel as much as possible. Pondering my next moves and where in the country or the world they will take me!

PHILOSOPHY

Organizing, direct communication, and kindness. Always under refinement, though!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I used CS two summers ago on a cross-country bike trip to find friendly folks to stay with. It was awesome! I look forward to hosting once I get my own apartment--right now I'm in school.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In 2009 a friend and I biked across the US (Boston to Seattle) over the summer, and the folks I met on CS were some of nicest we met, and completely transformed our experience of the cities we stayed in. Most of them were people who had used couchsurfing themselves to travel around the world, so it was great to hear their own travel stories.

A couchsurfer even drove me to the Urgent Care when I was feeling poorly, where I found out I had mono--pretty key information when you're on week one of a ten week bike trek!--so I have a lot to thank this community for!

Interests

Being outdoors, traveling, talking to people about what they do, labor, culture, diners. Getting back into books after a small reading-long-texts hangover after college.

• culture
• books
• breakfast
• cheese
• beer
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• camping
• cultural studies
• long-term travel

Music, Movies, and Books

I like a lot of music! Some of my favorite concerts have been
- the Dropkick Murphys: Boston Irish punk rock!
- Azealia Banks, a virtuoso young female rapper from Harlem
- Calle 13, funny, conscious Puerto Rican reggaeton
- Layla McCalla, the cellist from the Carolina Chocolate Drops and solo singer of beautiful Haitian folk songs and covers of Langston Hughes poems)

Books! Recent loves:
- Americanah, Chimimanda Adichie. So many crossovers with my experiences of academia and youth, and then so many things I have not experienced (immigration, Nigeria)
- The Skies Belong To Us, Brendan Koerner. A truly fascinating history of hijacking in the 70s.
- Saga, Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples. A graphic novel--space opera!--that is clearly deeply loved and lived in by both of its creators

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Crossing America on a bicycle, including an 11,000 foot pass, and then riding down again!

I guess in a different vein, I ran for local political office at age 20, which was both stressful and amazing (I lost).

Teach, Learn, Share

Long-term travel, bicycling, and camping tips.
Thinking about how to conceptualize America and its politics and culture. I was a cultural studies major and I still love thinking about what our culture means about us and how we create it!

What I Can Share with Hosts

A six-pack of fancy beer, if you like! I also make an excellent breakfast sandwich, a good pot of black beans, and a nice baked mac & cheese (Martha Stewart style).

My friends often pick me to come with them to unknown social spaces and break down the awkwardness, so I guess what I mean to say is that I'm very easygoing and chatty--although if you're not looking for that, I'm also very happy looking for conversation out of your home, or reading quietly in my bed/sofa.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Guatemala

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States