ABOUT ME

My greatest love is for my daughter, Eliza Ruby, who came into my life and took my heart by storm in November of 2012. My second greatest love is for this world- for all the adventure and the people and animals in it. All my life, I wanted to travel. When I was little, I wanted to be a zookeeper so I could make animals more comfortable in zoos and to go on safaris and learn all about them. As I got older, though, I realized I loved people even more. Although I still wanted to care for animals in my spare time by doing things like volunteering for the ASPCA, I decided what was most important was to make the lives of people more comfortable. What child deserves to go hungry? What woman deserves to live in a home where the rain pours in on her? What man deserves to live invisible and cold on the streets? I decided when I was 13 that it was going to be my mission to lead a selfless life, where the reward is in giving of myself to others and experience a life of freedom. Now I'm trying to take on a very minimalist lifestyle so that my daughter and I can spend our lives exploring and volunteering wherever we go.

PHILOSOPHY

To live in love.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I am new to Couchsurfing, but I did experience a rather wonderful homestay situation when I went to China. When I was 15 I was nominated to participate in the People to People Student Ambassador Program. I fundraised for my 17-day trip and with the help of my family I was sent on one of the greatest adventures of my life. Part of the trip included a 3-day homestay in Suzhou. I loved my homestay family! Nancy, the oldest daughter and the best English speaker, toured me around and asked me so many questions. I think that's when my eyes really opened up to how different cultures really can be from one another. It felt like we got so close in our short time knowing one another, bonded together in the understanding of our internal samenesses and appreciation for our vastly different life experiences. I can't wait to experience that again from this site.

Interests

I spend much of my time painting, drawing with oil pastels, writing poetry, singing, and playing outside with my daughter. I love cooking and baking as well. I also go on hikes rather frequently and enjoy fly-tying for my father who goes fly-fishing late in the Summer.

• animals
• writing
• poetry
• singing
• cooking
• baking
• flying
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• fishing
• hiking
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to a peculiar mix of music. It includes virtually everything except for rap and really heavy metal. I listen to a lot of classical, jazz, and new age, but I also listen to everything else from Celine Dion and Kany Garcia to Opeth and Atreyu, and then so many in between, like Moby, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Crash Test Dummies. I read everything I can get my hands on, and my favourite movie genres are romantic comedy, adventure, and suspense.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One amazing thing I've seen was at the grocery store. A woman realized she left her check at home and couldn't pay for her groceries, but she'd already been rung up by the cashier. The man behind her payed for all of it.

One amazing thing I've done is had a child. That's the greatest miracle of all! The second was fundraising for my trip to China, although on this site, I'm sure that's not so unusual. :)

Countries I’ve Visited

China

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States