CURRENT MISSION

My partner, Lily, and I are currently teachers at an International School in Kunming. We are teaching english, geography, science, math, art, and outdoor education. Before that, I spent two years as an outdoor/environmental educator teaching American teenagers about living responsibly and ethically in a modern, globalized world (to put it very broadly), and Lily was an early-childhood educator at the Jackson Hole Children's Museum and at the Bay Area Discovery museum. We are both very passionate about experiential education and inquiry-based learning, and we believe travel is a very important form of learning that we wish all people could experience.

ABOUT US

We are both very friendly and welcoming people, and will enjoy most activities that involve getting to know you or having fun in any way. We are very passionate about personal relationships (quantity and quality), and new experiences. As much as possible, we try to join these two factors in everything we do, and so far it has led to quite fulfilling personal lives!

We are also big fans of empathy, and try to exercise it as much as possible. We do our absolute best to be accepting and non-judgmental towards everyone that we meet, as every person is endlessly complex and always has something to offer.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We recently moved into an apartment in Kunming, China and would love to repay the generosity we've received in our own travels by hosting couchsurfers here. We are very interested in meeting people from around the world and helping them explore this lovely city.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Amazing CS experiences in both India and New Zealand. The ridiculous generosity of everyone who has hosted me has made me extremely enthusiastic about hosting.

Interests

We love to be outside!! Wether it is going to a park, car camping, backpacking, climbing, river rafting, or skiing. We are full-on outdoor enthusiasts and would love to go on a hike or camp with you while you're here.

We are also currently binge-watching Game of Thrones, but we like other TV shows as well (The Wire, Breaking Bad, Master of None, and more). We also love to read and explore--new experiences are always a priority. All in all we are about having fun in any way possible, be it going out to a bar, going hiking/camping, or just hanging out and chatting.

• culture
• books
• running
• traveling
• hiking
• camping

Music, Movies, and Books

We enjoy every genre of movie, but the LOTR trilogy and Newsies top the list of individual movies. Current books include a few non-fiction works on China (Mao's Great Famine, China in Ten Words, The Party), a couple of classics (To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye).

I (Luke) have a very eclectic taste in music, and while I can appreciate and enjoy all genres, my most-frequented is indie-folk. I listen to slow, melancholy music a lot, but that does not mean I'm a sad person, it just means I shouldn't DJ at parties. Lily has a little bit more of a normal taste in music, but its still weird enough to be interesting.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

We went on a week long, independently planned canyoneering trip in the middle of the Utah Desert. We descended the same slot canyon as James Franco in "127 Hours", and we almost got stuck under the same rock. We've also done a fair number of other outdoor adventures and climbed a few mountains, mainly in Jackson Hole, WY, where we lived for two years.

Teach, Learn, Share

We hope to be able to spread optimism and friendliness towards others in a contagious manner, while at the same time teach people around the world about our home culture in America.

We are lifelong learners.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Cambodia, China, Greece, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States