I am a lover of people. When I was younger I would write " I LOVE PEOPLE " on all of my notebooks. and that is still true today. People give me energy. They fill me up. There's nothing I love more than letting new people into my life/heart every day.

Also relevant: I grew up in Minnesota, with two long haired wiener dogs, a very musically inclined younger sister, and two parents who met and fell in love in High School. Minnesota is and always will be home to me, my extended family is GIGANTIC and the majority of them are settled in Minnesota. Growing up I saw my extended family at least once a week to celebrate 1 of the 70 birthdays, graduations, baby showers, etc. I am very rooted in Minnesota, but I have always yearned to learn what else is out there.

My Junior year of college is when I was finally able to do something with those yearnings. I decided to study and live in Buenos Aires, Argentina for 6 months to challenge my love for the Spanish language, as well as learn how to live away from such extreme comfort. Everyday in Argentina continuously evolved my perspective on my future.

I returned to the University of Minnesota and graduated the following year (2015). I purposely did not apply to any other jobs than the current ones I held at two restaurants, because I knew once I saved up a little more money, that it would be time for me to travel again.

I took two weeks that summer to explore Norway and all its beauty, as well as Denmark. I camped majority of those two weeks, and got a taste of the Northern realm. I returned home, knowing that was not the last of my travels. 4 months later, my childhood friend and I set out for a 1 month trip to Central America. I was hoping to rekindle my fluidity in the Spanish Language as well as familiarize myself with the countries there.

1 month quickly turned into 11. I fell in love with a hostel in Nicaragua, became the Manager there for 4 of the most chaotic/inspiring/whirl winded months, left to travel to other places in Central Am., and then took on a new Manager position in another part of Nicaragua (while also teaching yoga and giving massage on the side). I fell in love with every part of that country. And I will forever go back to visit my newfound family that I developed in my time there.

The beauty that I have learned in my small time traveling is that family doesn't only have to be at "home." Family is everywhere. And also that "home" isn't only in Minnesota. Home can be a multitude of places.

I am now doing a 6 week travel expedition in Europe truly because I have two of my dearest friends stationed there. One in France, the other in Spain, and a handful of incredible people I met in Nicaragua are also spread out along this part of the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm here because while I was living in Argentina, I lived with a host family. I felt like I got the amazing experience I did because of that decision. In Nicaragua, living in the hostel also gave me the opportunity to be surrounded by a lot of locals. I love being able to not only speak/ hear the local language during my time in another country, but I also find the greatest experiences I have had all involve connecting with people that have lived wherever it is I am. When I am in a new place, I want to learn the most about their culture as I possibly can. I believe there is no better way to do that than spending some time or at least having some local influence surrounding you.

I love that couch surfing is an option for travelers, but disclaimer, I am well aware this is very different from host families hehe, I just love the opportunity for connections and sharing of experiences that this offers. :)

Interests

• chocolate
• peanut butter

Music, Movies, and Books

ELF. my sister and I obsess and watch this movie year round. Haven't seen it? please go watch it.

Not very good with all other movies, but I do enjoy them when I choose to watch:)

Books. hm. I do a lot of reading, but not year round, I go through months where I read, read, read, and others where I almost forget about it. Some favorites include 'Tuesdays with Morrie,' 'Dark Places,' 'Born to Run,' 'Wild,' 'Tiny Beautiful Things.'

Also, I am in the midst of reading the first Harry Potter, so far so good.

Music is another huge part of my life (In addition to family). My dad is a musician and has been since he graduated high school. He played with Prince, Donny Osmond, Kenny Loggins, Oleta Adams, Peter Frampton and the list goes on. All of my dad's side have professions in music. My dad, Paul, also has many successful bands of his own. "FDeluxe, and just his solo CD's "St. Paul." He's amazing.

I grew up listening to my family play Jazz, as my grandmother was the Matriarch of Jazz in Minnesota. She and her late husband were the first people to play the organ for the Twins (not so great baseball team).

I take in a lot of music, and I love it almost as much as I love people. What is my favorite is getting new music from all of the people I meet. There is SO MUCH OF IT. And majority of it is in some way or another appealing to me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Peru

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Nicaragua