Hi! I'm Keira! My boyfriend Joe and I are currently living in London for the summer, working as flying trapeze instructors and then we will be doing some traveling around Europe this fall. I grew up in upstate New York, then lived in Boston for many years while I was working and in school. I have my Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis (a type of psychology) and specialize in working with children with autism. In 2016, I took what was supposed to be a 3 month sabbatical from my job at an autism school to pursue my hobby of flying trapeze as a full time instructor. Three years later I still have not gone back and have been traveling the world teaching flying trapeze and having a blast! I have lived and worked in Seattle, the Dominican Republic, San Diego, Sydney, and now London. I am really enjoying traveling the world, making new friends, and seeing new places!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We are going to be traveling around Europe for a few weeks in September and thought that couch surfing might be a great way to make new friends, meet locals, and be more immersed in the culture of the various cities we will be visiting. Aside from that, as flying trapeze instructors who don't make a ton of money we are of course trying to stick to a budget while still seeing and experiencing as much as we can! I also want to connect with travelers coming through London. Having been here for 2 months now, I am realizing how difficult it can be to make friends in a foreign country sometimes and it is great to have a community like this to be a part of! I also love meeting people from around the world (what drew me to circus work in the first place) and want to exchange travel stories and tips!

Interests

• animals
• fitness
• yoga
• running
• hiking
• nature
• circus
• acroyoga
• trapeze
• hiking in nature
• aerial arts
• circus arts
• partner acrobatics

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: all over the map! James Bay, Pink, Beyonce, Lil Wayne, Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Cardi B, anything from the 90s... hip hop, rap, some pop... basically anything but country and metal!

Movies: anything with Will Ferrell (Step Brothers is my all time fav), Dirty Dancing, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Cool Runnings, A League of Their Own.... generally like comedies, dramas, rom-coms...

Books: Post-Ph.D. I have kind of stopped reading for awhile after 10 years of reading overload! Recently finished Sleepers which was pretty great though.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In college I had the opportunity to travel to Kenya for 3 weeks for a class. We were lucky enough to have a connection with a Maasai group near Kilimanjaro where I was able to do a homestay for a few nights with a family. We were out in the middle of nowhere, hours from any cities with electricity and running water and staying in a tiny hut made of dung, mud, and sticks. It was the most terrifying and incredible experience of my life!

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: English, partner yoga/acro, juggling, circus skills, how to teach your pets to do tricks

Learn: French, yoga, how to do a magic trick, how to play the drums

Share: Places to learn flying trapeze/circus arts, drinks, meals, happy to show people around and find exciting things to do when I am back in the US!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I will bring an open mind and a good attitude and am happy to spend as much or as little time with my host as they prefer. I would love to share and contribute to meals/drinks and am very neat and tidy and am happy to help with cleaning up around the house. If you are down to learn some circus skills or come do flying trapeze with me I would love to share that as well!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, England, Kenya, Scotland

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, United States