CURRENT MISSION

Meet new people and travel around the world

ABOUT ME

I'm a recovering politico, originally from Alabama, who just left Washington, DC after a decade of trying to change the world from behind my desk. Kicking off in January, I'll be on the road and out of a job to meet new people, experience new things, and discover what people are doing in their local communities to lift people out of poverty and change the world one day at a time.

PHILOSOPHY

- A Smile is Universal! - Don't Worry! Be Happy! - Don't sweat the small stuff - Pura VidaFavorite Quotes - "The 'me' years are full of freedom, its the one time in your life when you can do whatever you want to" "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in
an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of
destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." - MLK Jr.
Donâ

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I signed up while still in DC and messaged with a few folks about meeting for coffee but our schedules never worked out. Now on the road, I'm really looking forward to using CS to meet local people who would be willing to show me around, have a meal, maybe do an activity that's unique to their city. I'd also love to hear from people about projects that they may know about or people that are helping their communities as I'd like to write and profile these worldchangers while on the road. I found that meeting people while travelling has gifted me with some amazing friends and I can't wait to make more through CS!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I like couches and am really great at sleeping on them.  While I haven't yet officially surfed, I'd like to think of myself as a good houseguest, eager to help out, and hope to crash on a few couches along my journey.

Interests

I love to surf and am an avid bicycle rider (although I just sold my bike along with all my belongings when I left DC) so I'm really looking forward to pursuing both while on the road. Listening to music of any kind and dancing is a favorite evening pasttime whether it's latin, dub step, or reggae... I just can't help but smile when I'm around a group of people brought together by a common cause or interest.  Speaking of smiling, I consider myself a happy, geniune person, who is a big fan of laughing... especially at myself! I also love to sing - especially at karoake bars - and used to regularly host Wii Karoake nights before I left DC. I'm also focusing on writing more now that I'm free from the shackles of a day job and started my own blog to chronicle this next year - check it out at leapingintolife.com or the twitter @leapingintolife.

• writing
• singing
• dancing
• education
• coffee
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• music
• cycling
• agriculture
• teaching

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was in Malawi in November 2010 doing ten days of site visits to health, education and agriculture projects. It was an incredibly emotional experience seeing people live in such desperate poverty simply because of where they were born and knowing that while progress was being made, it would be a hard life for them. But what struck me, despite the circumstances, was their happiness and appreciation of the little they had. Every child that I met had a smile spread across their face and a yelp of excitement that I heard while showing them pictures of themselves on my camera - for some, it was the first time they saw what they looked like. This experience made me appreciate everything I had, but less about the material things and more for my family, friends, and the idea that we're all in this world together. It was that trip that put me on the path to where I am today and I couldn't be happier.

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Malawi, Morocco

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States