Hi! My name is Kaitlin, I live in Fredrikstad, Norway, but I am originally from Memphis, TN USA. I've traveled a bit in Europe and the US, I'm hoping to be able to visit some different parts of the world in the near future.

I really enjoy spending time outdoors, hiking, swimming, or just relaxing. I also love to read, and I love it when new people I meet have reading recommendations for me! I love music and feel fortunate to live in a city where live music can be found somewhere in the city, pretty much any night of the week, all year round.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I originally joined CS because it seemed like a good resource for when I myself was traveling. However, after my very first CS experience (as a host), I realized what a great opportunity it gave me to meet awesome, interesting people from new places. From that very first experience I met some really great people who I still keep in contact with, and try to meet up with when when life allows. My housing situation has at times prevented me from being able to host (roommates, etc.), but I'm hoping to be able to be a more active member of the CS community in the future.

Interests

I can't think of very many things that don't interest me in some capacity, honestly. One thing I'm not particularly interested in are sports (although I do enjoy watching global sporting events such as the Olympics or the World Cup, but that's more for the spectacle and excitement of it all than the sports).

• cats
• dogs
• walking
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• sports
• olympics
• swimming
• world cup

Music, Movies, and Books

I really don't think of myself as having all-time favorites of any of these things, especially music.
I listen to music of almost any sort of music, and which particular songs, artists, or styles I listen to most are pretty fluid and never really settle.

I don't know if I have favorite movies or books either. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was really meaningful to me as a child (books and movies alike). I recently read a book called Delicious Foods, by James Hannaham, and I loved it. It deals with some incredibly heavy topics (poverty, racism, and addiction, chiefly), but if you like that sort of reading it's fantastic. Really gorgeous prose.

As far as movies I'm not too picky. I recommend The Grand Budapest Hotel to absolutely everyone I talk to about movies (seriously, watch it if you haven't). Fargo is great. I don't really like superhero movies very much, but I thought Guardians of the Galaxy was fun. I also really, really liked Pacific Rim, for the same reason. Was it a great work of cinema? No, definitely not. Did I have an awesome time watching it? Yes, absolutely I did. I also have a soft-spot for animated kids' movies, so I'm definitely not some pretentious film snob. I really love movies that are artful, beautifully acted and written, meaningful, etc. But I feel it's 100% okay to enjoy watching a movie just because it's fun and it makes me happy.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of my favorite experiences so far was visiting Stonehenge. I have always been fascinated by ancient cultures, and Stonehenge itself is just such an enigma in so many ways. The experience truly left me awe-struck and searching for adequate words. I had a very similar experience at Chichen Itza. I almost couldn't look away from the Observatory, it was incredible.

So I guess that was two things, but I couldn't pick between the two experiences.

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, England, Finland, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Norway