CURRENT MISSION

Explore Europe! Meet new people who share my interests. Never stop learning.

ABOUT ME

I am a San Francisco native, for the year I am teaching English abroad in Auvergne, France. My goals this year are to travel France as much as possible with a few fun trips around Europe if I can manage it. I would like to improve my French and strengthen my understanding of European lifestyle and culture. I am also keeping my eyes open for my
next home city!

PHILOSOPHY

Wasted time is wasted destiny!

Por qué estoy en Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am always hosting friends of friends and truly value this system of opening up one's living quarters to a stranger. The current idea of progress is synced with technology, which has many positive aspects; however, I have to actively try to meet people in an unexpected, random manner whereas before cellphones, social media, etc it was almost required-- if you were lost, if you wanted a recommendation. Anyway back to the question, I LOVE couchsurfing and have only had positive experiences with the site. As long as I have my own apartment and/or the space, I try to welcome couchsurfers, on this site or beyond, to my home.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
I have stayed with couchsurfers in Porto, Lyon, and Toulouse. All experiences were wonderful and I am so grateful for them opening their homes to me!

Intereses

Cooking vegetarian food! I am not 100% vegetarian, but I don't know how to cook meat nor do I eat it (twice a month maybe) so I am always experimenting with new recipes. Eating good food is another grand pastime of mine.

Nature! I enjoy all things outdoors. I love to hike, swim in natural water (no swimming pools really), camp, read in a park, you name it.

Travel! I guess this is a given for any CouchSurfer. I love to travel and I love when I find an authentic experience in a city. These days leisure has a price--whether it be with guided tours or fancy hotels, and I always try to avoid that and to meet the locals and also to learn the history, not to mention seeing what my generation is up to in these places.

Live Music! I love seeing live music! All music is great, but I am a big fan of punk rock, experimental & noise music. Also any music with analog synthy goodness I enjoy as well. I love checking out the local music scene anytime I travel.

Photography! I love film cameras! Not an expert, but I have a few and I think they are more authentic than digital. What I hate about digital is that you can take a picture several times until you have the 'perfect' one, which feels so phony to me. If I end up with a great picture from a film camera, it feels like such an accomplishment.

What Else? Reading, writing, dancing......

• culture
• writing
• poetry
• photography
• dancing
• causes
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• vegetarian
• technology
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• live music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• camping
• swimming
• communications
• history
• tours

Música, películas y libros

Music:

Gun Club,
The Cramps,
The Gories,
Thee Oh Sees (and Damaged Bug),
The Slits,
Television Personalities,
Brian Jonestown Massacre,
Aphex Twin,
DeerHunter,
FKA twigs,
Bjork,
Kraftwerk,
Ariel Pink,
Ween,
Big Black,
Karen Dalton,
Kelela,
Nicolas Jaar,
Vivian Girls,
Bratmobile,
Pixies,
Sonic Youth,
Swans
Swell Maps
Andy Stott
.......the list goes on and on and on

Movies:

Favorite Directors:

Stanley Kubrick,
Pedro Almodovar,
Jean Luc Godard,
Francois Truffaut,
Brian de Palma,
Todd Solondz,
Jim Jarmusch ,
I just realized there are no women on this list....that's a problem...

Movies:
Possession (1981),
Waterlilies,
The Dark Crystal,
Female Trouble (John Waters is my god),
Royal Tenebaums,
Delicatessen,
Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources,
Coffe & Cigarettes,
2001: A space Odyssey

Favorite Books:

Milan Kundera,
Haruki Murakami,
Richard Brautigan,
Bukowski,
Tom Robbins,
Camus,
Lydia Davis
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
My struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard

Algo increíble que he hecho

One AMAZING thing....when I see what other people are doing in the world that is truly AMAZING it is hard for me to think I am really doing something "amazing" as well. I am proud of the life I have lived but I am just a traveling bird. I hiked Mt Fuji this summer! That was difficult. Amazing? I wouldn't say so. Unless you think everything is amazing. Life is Amazing!

Enseña, aprende, comparte

The heaviest of burdens crushes us, we sink beneath it, it pins us to the ground. But in love poetry of every age, the woman longs to be weighed down by the man's body.The heaviest of burdens is therefore simultaneously an image of life's most intense fulfillment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become. Conversely, the absolute absence of burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant. What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness? - Milan Kundera

Qué puedo ofrecer a los anfitriones

My friendship! Stories! Good conversation (unless you don't speak English or French....then I don't know) I can cook for you!

Países que he visitado

Cambodia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Viet Nam

Países en los que he vivido

France, United States