CURRENT MISSION

To buy a motorcycle with a side-car.

ABOUT ME

Some things that describe me would be that I have a positive attitude and I like to keep busy. I really don't like to be bored, and I often stay up way later than I should, doing things or getting things done. I'm a pretty clean and organized person, but I don't get too fussy about it. If there's dishes in the sink for a few days, I'll live. Some other things about me are that I care about people, and I love animals. I have a dog and four cats.

A major part of my life right now is working and pursuing my degree in Criminology. I have one year left, and unfortunately until I am finished, I don't think I will be able to host for a while. After I finish, I plan to live in Tallahassee to get my masters in Criminology and Public Administration. Ultimately I want to lead research that focuses on helping people leaving prison to reestablish back into and become productive members of society. I want to do this because I believe in second chances. I don't believe people should be defined by their past, and have to experience the stigma and judgment of their criminal record forever if they are truly committed to staying away from crime and moving forward to a more positive future. Not everyone leaving prison fits this category, but for those who do, I want to be there to help.

PHILOSOPHY

I get a lot of my philosophy from books that I've read, and one of my favorites is by Ayn Rand: "Although we can evade reality, we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality." This philosophy basically means, do what you have to do, because avoiding your problems is no way to solve them. Another of my favorites is by Vanilla Ice, who says, "You got a problem, yo I'll solve it!" Haha, just kidding. But you can gather that most of my philosophies revolve around problem solving. I enjoy a good challenge, and believe life is a series of them. When we solve them, we find out who we are and what we're made of; what we can handle and what we can't; what we love and what we hate; what we want to surround ourselves with, and what we refuse to be a part of. And my final philosophy is to never stop learning, because once you have decided you know enough, you might as well have decided to give up on life, and that is never an option.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted a few times in the past. Unfortunately I am unable to host right now because I am in the middle of a big transition moving from Florida to NYC to attend John Jay College of Criminal Justice to finish up my bachelors.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have hosted some good people so far, and I hope to be a surfer here very soon. In my transition to NYC, I will be looking to stay with someone for a few days while I get situated in an apartment. After that, perhaps I can host in big city! I'll try to keep this updated, but if you are reading this, I'm updating on 4/22/15.

Interests

I like spending my time doing things that are both cerebral and active. Last summer I learned American Sign Language - I took ASL 1 - 3, and have a moderate grasp of basic conversational skills. If we meet, I can show you some cool signs! I love sharing sign language with people and helping others get a better understanding of the culture.

I also dabble in a few languages on Rosetta Stone, but I would not say I have basic conversational skills in them yet. I know a small amount of Spanish, and a smaller amount of German. Another language I am just beginning to learn is Python, a computer programming language. In the work I plan to pursue, it will be valuable to me to understand different computer programming languages when I am working with data from research. I hope to finish learning this language and explore other computer programming languages in the future.

Because school takes up so much of my time, my other interests are mostly getting to spend a little bit of time with my boyfriend, Jared, and throwing the "pig-a-doo" for my dog, Payton (it's his favorite piggy-shaped toy).

• animals
• cats
• dogs
• culture
• books
• running
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• canoeing
• languages
• public administration
• sign language

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy way too many to list here, but I'll give a list of a few to give you an idea.

TV: Big Bang Theory, Dr. Who, Grey's Anatomy, Dexter, Lie to Me, Bones, King of Queens, True Blood, Eureka, Heroes, Lost, Glee, Tosh.0, Fringe, Invader Zim, Nurse Jackie, United States of Tara, Legend of the Seeker, House, The League, Californication...

Books: Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Harry Potter, 1984, Memoirs of a Geisha, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, A Wrinkle in Time, America: The Book, Dean Koontz, Stephen King...

Movies: Anchorman (anything with Will Ferrel really), anything with Johnny Depp, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Avatar, The Ringer, Harry Potter (again haha), Tron, Wall E, Saving Grace...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A really awesome adventure I have been on was the summer between 8th and 9th grade when I went on a hiking trip sponsored by my school. I actually got in because another girl broke her ankle and couldn't go. I feel bad that she didn't get to, but I am really glad I got to go in her place. We hiked across Connecticut (where I'm from) and then spent a few days canoeing. The last day we did repelling. I was so terrified to do it, but it actually ended up being one of the most fun things I've ever done. I've also seen Niagra falls a couple of times. When you're standing up there above it, it's hard to believe a water fall could be so big and never run out of water. It really is beautiful. But I'd like to do more than stand on the edge of water falls. Someday I hope to get to travel the world, staying with people from Couchsurfing or maybe some hostels. If we meet, maybe you can share some of the best places you've visited!

Teach, Learn, Share

ASL - I would love to teach you some ASL if we meet! It's my favorite thing that I've learned that I love sharing with people, and that so many seem interested to learn from me.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can always help cleaning! I have a high attention to detail and would be a neat and considerate guest. I have made a few friends on here that I still keep in touch with online. If we meet, I hope we can form similar friendships. I love comedy and I'm great with wise-cracks. I'm a little shy at first but it's usually because I'm trying to be polite and gauge people's boundaries, which I work to respect. Once I warm up to you, I am good to talk and share about anything.