I am originally from California and I’m a big fan of nature, recycling, and cookbooks. My husband, Matthew, is from New Zealand. He’s a super chill Kiwi who loves the outdoors, surfing, and music. We live in Chicago’s south side where I am finishing my PhD in History of Science and he works on boats on Lake Michigan.

PHILOSOPHY:
It's never too late.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We are here to explore other perspectives. Long before Couchsurfing.com existed, I called Vienna my home and trotted around central Europe surfing trains and couches. Then I married a kiwi, moved to New Zealand and hosted travelers in our little bungalow. Then my husband and I moved to Germany and went on various weekend couchsurfing explorations. We both really prefer to stay with locals and learn about their home and traditions.

Interests

Yoga
Hiking
Surfing
Camping
Roadtripping- we recently did Route 66!
Listening to others tell their stories
Cooking
Sustainability

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: I am writing my dissertation on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's science and aesthetics- so I read a lot of his stuff. Matt likes Jack Reacher novels. He's read them all.

Movies: Matt's favorite is Roadhouse and mine is either Die Hard 3 or Chinatown.

TV: We both like The Wire.

Music: Matt really likes Kris Kristofferson and John Prine. I like them, too- but I also enjoy a little Carrie Underwood and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. We both like Steve Earle lots.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Matt and I used to live in a Yoga Retreat Center in New Zealand with 90 other likeminded people. We grew our own food, collected our own eggs, and chopped our own firewood. It was a terrific year.

Teach, Learn, Share

We always have a lot of fun cooking for or with our hosts!

I love to trade knowledge, swap stories, and exchange objects. If you want something I own, you can most likely have it. I also know a little something about non-human primates, evolutionary theory, and Romanticism for those who are interested...

Matt would be so happy to watch or chat about sports with you. Honestly, any sport- cricket, rugby, soccer, basketball, baseball, football... He would also be very happy to chat about New Zealand history and culture. Lastly, he works on boats and loves to surf- so if you want a surfing buddy or you want to learn how to tie super tight knots, Matt's your man.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Food, laughter, and friendship.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Germany, New Zealand, United States

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