CURRENT MISSION

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection." - Bhagavad Gita

ABOUT ME

I'd like to think I'm a pretty accepting person. I love meeting new people and seeing new places. I had the incredible opportunity to spend my childhood through adolescence in the Netherlands. I went to public school, speak Dutch, and go back once a year. Needless to say: I've traveled... a lot. I don't think adventure is something that's ever going away for me. I love trying new things and am constantly pushing myself to learn new things and also love putting myself outside of my comfort zone. I'm constantly riding my bike around. One of my favorite hobbies is trash picking and repurposing. Art is a very important part in my life. I play guitar and ukelele and really want to pick up the mandolin. Most of the things in my life are eclectic. I like it that way. I'm honest, stubborn, and extremely independent. I love a daily dose of sarcasm and quick-wit. I've been told I'm pretty sarcastic. Spontaneity is a must with me. I find ignorance and racism unacceptable. I like keeping my life interesting and ever-changing.

I'm studying Sociology and Environmental Studies at the College of Charleston. I work at the Office of Sustainability and am a contributor to the student news media at the college.

PHILOSOPHY

Keep your head up and your heart open.

“Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.” - Oscar Wilde

"Drink from the well of yourself and begin again." - Charles Bukowski

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I absolutely love the concept behind couchsurfing. It's such a great way to travel, meet new people, and get a real-life local perspective of the places you travel. Looking forward hosting a bunch of cool folks and showing them around!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I love hosting people and welcoming them into my home. I've had plenty of friends that have and I've gotten a chance to meet people and be a part of the experience. Now that I have my place all sorted out, I'm ready to host! One of my favorite things is showing people around and giving them my personal tour of the city.

Interests

Discovering new bands, exploring, road trips, shows, the arts, trying new things, cooking and also eating great food, great conversations over coffee, jam sessions, crafting, bike riding, being outdoors

• arts
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• drinking
• news
• traveling
• socializing
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• communications
• environmental studies
• sociology
• road trips
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Anything by Douglas Coupland. Hey Nostradamus! is my favorite. David Sedaris. Ray Bradbury. Vonnegut. I love memoirs. Nonfiction. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama, Gang Leader for a Day, Girl Interrupted, Persepolis, A Clockwork Orange, Everything Is Illuminated, The Beach, Fast Food Nation, Go Ask Alice

I like reading philosophy, even if it makes my head hurt from time to time. I just took an amazing course on Environmental Ethics.

Currently on my bookshelf are tons of other books I want to read in the future. I'll probably read The Omnivore's Dilemma next or War Child.

Movies: French New Wave Cinema. Latter surrealism. Wes Anderson. Foreign films. Documentaries. Any kind of French cinema. Film noir.
Everything is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Into the Wild, Fight Club, Persepolis, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show, Waiting for Superman, Rear Window, La Vie en Rose, Ma Vie en Rose, Tomboy, Amelie, Memento, A Clockwork Orange, Persona, Gasland, Garden State, The Butterfly Effect, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Shawshank Redemption, Pleasantville... Just to name a few

TV Shows: Breaking Bad, Parks and Rec, SKINS, Orange is the New Black, United States of Tara, Wilfred, Girls, Taboo, House, Flight of the Concords

Music: Wild Belle, The Helio Sequence, Gardens & Villa, Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, Youth Lagoon, Emily Wells, RJD2, The Talking Heads, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Chet Faker, Thievery Corporation, STRFKR, The Antlers, Boy & Bear, The Growlers, Little People, The Outervention, Old You, Bombay Bicycle Club, Black Dub, Ty Segall, Deerhunter, The Oh Sees, A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, GAYNGS, Twin Shadow, Dire Straights, Jimi Hendrix, People Under the Stairs, Disclosure, Portishead, Tame Impala, Dirty Projectors, Shovels and Rope, Chad Vangaalen, Joy Division, J Dilla, New Order... Too much to mention. You get the gist. I'm working on growing my vinyl collection and I've been really into Bonobo, James Blake, and downtempo stuff lately.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love meeting people from different countries and corners of the world. I think that there's something to be learned from every person you come in contact with. I think that a sharing community such as couchsurfing is such a unique opportunity to meet people that you usually wouldn't meet and extending your knowledge and experiences within yourself and with others.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands