** Hellooooo! Please include the word "fa'afetai" in your couch request! Yes, really. I know you don't know what it means though, right? It's Samoan for "thank you" - as in: "Thank you" for taking the time to read my page, and "Thank you" for respecting the time and effort we put into making Couch Surfing a fun, positive & safe part of our lives! =]

CURRENT MISSION

Kiri: Building my life as a newly wed. Figuring out Grad School.
Utu: Finding my way in the USA (since April 2015!) ;]

ABOUT ME

I (Kiri) love to travel. Freakin' love it. The feeling of discovering something you never knew existed is mind blowing. And those things are usually REALLY cool! I geek-out speaking foreign languages (like Rosetta Stone? SUCH a fun game! Ha.) and I mean... flavors, values, ideas of humor and life.... I'm a nerd and I'm in love with the world. Basically that. In a word. Travel ;]

PHILOSOPHY

I've heard a million times over that it's not about what you do in life, but what makes you HAPPY in life.

It is my mission to explore my ambitions and push my self to go farther, see more and achieve every last one of my sky-high dreams!-- because if you want it bad enough...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I first encountered CS while studying in Buenos Aires. I surfed my first couch in São Paulo, Brazil in April 2012 (Thanks Pedro!). I've also lived with long-term 'host families' for years in Mexico, Argentina & Samoa. Serve to say I'm well versed in being a guest!

I returned to the USA after years abroad (school, traveling, Peace Corps, etc) in 2015 and finally have the opportunity to MY home to this vast world of couch surfing travelers!

Interests

Global Development, Human Rights, Refugee issues, Literacy, Girl's empowerment, Being Green, Politics, Public Administration, Languages, Cultures, Travel stories, ESL, Music, Writing, Trying new food, and Watching Documentaries on Netflix!

• writing
• documentaries
• human rights
• dining
• politics
• traveling
• billiards
• music
• hiking
• surfing
• teaching
• forestry
• languages
• public administration
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite MOVIE is Tommy Boy. One that I've learned, however, is not up to par with international standards of humor. A close Argentine friend of mine told me point blank, that Chris Farley was "fucking annoying." HA!

In terms of MUSIC I have a great love for Reggaeton, Island Reggae, American Top 40, 90's boybands, old R&B, & late 90's/early 00's Country.

I have an ever-growing stack of BOOKS that I would like to someday read. Someday, likely meaning when I finish school. I never had time to read as an undergrad and I never have time now either! But I dig non-fiction, mostly. If you can't tell yet I thoroughly enjoy geeking out and learning something new.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In October, 2010 I went hiking on a glacier in El Calafate, Argentina. "El perrito moreno" is one of the only consistently regenerating glaciers in the world! It trades broken ice (which itself falls with an incredibly thunderous crash) for rain/snowfall over time.

Anyway- we had metal spikes strapped to our shoes to dig in & keep us balanced while trekking over the ice, drank fresh water from a pool where glacial melt had collected, and drank scotch atop our final resting place before disembarking into the forestry once again. If that's not amazing, I don't know what is.

Teach, Learn, Share

I was a Primary English Literacy Volunteer with the US Peace Corps for 2 years in a rural village in the South Pacific..... which basically means I was an English teacher working abroad to bridge the gaps between international borders. I want to help people from all walks of life grow and come to understand each other as equals.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My home =]
My kitchen (and maybe meals- we can talk about this!)
My washing machine & dryer (or breezy patio!)
Clean towels.
A squishy, comfy sofa (bring your own sheet!)
An inside view of life in the American Southwest ;]

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Mexico, Paraguay, Samoa, South Korea, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Mexico, Samoa, United States

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