CURRENT MISSION

My mission as a traveller is to not be on holiday. This is my real life and it's not always easy travelling alone at 18 but it is the most rewarding endeavour I've ever pursued. I try to my best to dig further than the main tourist attractions.

ABOUT ME

I'm from a state in the US that few have heard of and a town in that state that fewer have heard of. The one thing that's never changed about me is my hunger to see the world. When I graduated high school in 2010 I had the perfect opportunity to work for six months, save up, and travel Europe. At first travelling alone at such a young age on my dollar seemed incredibly daunting, but once I started properly backpacking I realised it was the best thing I could have done with this year. Travel has changed me from an apathetic, painfully shy, fearful girl into an aware, interested, outgoing, and confident woman and continues to stretch and challenge me every day.

PHILOSOPHY

It's always okay to change what you believe in completely - it doesn't make you a hypocrite.
I don't want to tell anyone what to do with their life.
I strive to not harm anyone, but to try to make things better for others.
I'd describe myself as an existentialist, and what that means to me is that life is inherently meaningless - it is our passions and our struggles that give life meaning. I love being alive!

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Right now I want to give CS a shot as a surfer. I'm moving to Portland, OR in the fall and will be trying to set up a place for people to come visit. If all the chips fall into place I think hosting would really suit me. But I figured I should give it a try from the surfer perspective first.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None yet! I've talked to plenty of people who highly recommend it, though!

Centres d'intérêt

I will die before I run out of things to be interested in! I'm interested in all sorts of history, people's stories, their cultures, languages, art. I'm interested in all sort of food and music. I want to learn as much about the world I live in as humanly possible.

• arts
• dining
• running
• partying
• traveling
• music
• backpacking
• history
• languages

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

I have to say I love almost anything Wes Anderson [as far as films go]. I'm also really into foreign films, my favourites are Suspiria and Amélie. I have a guilty pleasure for Studio Ghibli but I'm not an anime fanatic. My favourite film right now is "In Bruges."
Favourite music: The XX, Fleet Foxes, Camera Obscura, Mumford and Sons, Angus and Julia Stone, Florence and the Machine, The Decemberists, Phoenix, Local Natives, Passion Pit. Stuff like that.
Books: I don't read NEARLY as much as I should - so much shame! But right now my favourite is "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson. I've also enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 and A Handmaid's Tale. Devil in the White City, In Cold Blood, The Stranger, and Crime and Punishment are good as well.

Enseignez, apprenez, partagez

What have I got to teach you? If anything that not all 18 year old American girls are crazy party-all-the-time people. Also, with hard work and strategy the world is essentially your oyster.
As far as practical skills - I have a lot to learn! I'd also really like to become fluent in more languages, probably starting with French.

Pays que j'ai visités

Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Pays dans lesquels j'ai vécu

United States