Hey there!! I'm Kira, a 19 year old student from the quirky city of Portland, Oregon. I'm a plant-eating, yoga-doing, wine-loving lady who is a little obsessed with traveling. I lived as an exchange student in Chile when I was 16, and took a gap year after high school to travel the world for 8 months! I currently study journalism at University of Oregon. I've been to 22 countries, and can't wait to be to many more. I'm a talkative girl, and I can't wait to share stories and listen to yours!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Let's be real... traveling is EXPENSIVE... especially in Europe. But I love it too much to let finances stop me! My goal is to visit 50 countries by the time I'm 30, and if you're familiar with how freakin' expensive college is in the US... the only way I'll be able to meet that goal is by finding cheaper ways to travel!

I also believe that staying with locals is such a great way to really experience a place, and I'm a firm believer that the best way to enrich our lives is to share our culture and learn about other cultures. It leads to a deeper understanding of the world and humankind, and makes us kinder and more well-rounded people. With all the hate in the world right now, I think it's important that we come together and celebrate our differences (and also realize our similarities!!) rather than segregate ourselves. :-)

And I just love meeting people!

Interests

I love writing and taking photos, as well as making videos. I'm really interested in animal rights and other social justice issues (women's rights, gay rights, etc). And I love yoga and meditation, although I haven't been finding much time lately to practice it.

• animals
• writing
• photography
• cooking
• coffee
• raw food
• vegan
• exercise
• yoga
• traveling
• blogging
• alternative music
• electronic music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• journalism
• study abroad
• sustainability
• meeting new people
• indie rock
• vlogging
• vegan cooking
• sustainable living
• hike

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I'm a little obsessed with music festivals, and have a VERY eclectic taste in music. My favorite genres are hip hop, EDM and alternative rock. Some of my favorite artists are The Killers, Russ, Galantis, Odesza, J. Cole, and Louis the Child, but I pretty much listen to anything!

Movies: again, very eclectic! I haven't had a lot of time to watch movies lately, but some of my all-time favorites are Crash, The Shining (which was filmed an hour from where I grew up!), The Matrix, and Titanic. I also love binge-watching Netflix shows. My current favorites are Black Mirror, Orange is the New Black, and Grey's Anatomy. I love show and movie suggestions!

Books: As I'm a journalism major, my favorite books to read tend to be non-fiction. Some of the best books I've read recently were Freakonomics, Outliers, and The Omnivore's Dilemma. My favorite fiction books are Gone Girl, or really anything written by Gillian Flynn, and also Kite Runner is a classic.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I saved a man's life once. It's a long, wild story that I'd be more than happy to share when you host me. It's best when told over a glass of wine or some dessert (which I will gladly provide).

Teach, Learn, Share

TEACH: I am more than happy to help you practice English or Spanish, show you how to do some yoga, teach you about the vegan lifestyle (and share some of my favorite recipes). I'm also pretty good at social media and taking pictures, so I can help you with that kind of thing if you're interested!

LEARN: I want to learn some of your language, culture and favorite foods! I also can't wait to hear about what you think about the current state of the world (political, environmental, social, etc)! And of course I'm hoping you can teach me about some of the best places to visit in your beautiful city,

SHARE: I'm a really open person, and I'd love to share stories, recipes, ideas, pictures etc with my hosts!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my culture, language, stories, recipes, fun conversations, a glass of wine or some beers, lots of smiles, friendship and of course you will always have a home with me in Portland if you ever wish to come visit!!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, Finland, United States