CURRENT MISSION

To be a passionate nomad, to learn everything there is to know.

ABOUT ME

Hello there! My name's Maddi. I'm a twenty year-old traveler and student, out there to see and do and (hopefully) change something.

PHILOSOPHY

My philosophy is to never be ignorant, to always have my eyes open to what's happening right now. I want to meet interesting people and have genuine experiences. I want to know where my food comes from, my clothes, my furniture, my energy. I want to see the bigger picture from a small point of view, and (at the risk of sounding crunchy granola) embrace the GLOCAL.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Just getting started! I can only host sometimes, but I would LOVE to CouchSurf and get to know people on my travels.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have hosted some and surfed a little. I was inspired to try out CouchSurfing by an unofficial experience my roommate and I had in Sfax, Tunisia in April 2012. Our intention had been to travel overnight from El Jem to Tozeur on a train, but the trains were cancelled due to major riots in several cities. We took a local louage to Sfax, hoping that the trains would still be running below that point. We found out en route from a helpful local that it would be impossible to travel, and that hotels were shutting down. We ended up staying with the family of the local on the louage, meeting their friends, and having a wonderful time despite language barriers... it was by far one of the best experiences of the trip, and I am always looking to repeat that connection with the place and people in future travels!

Interests

Backpacking, slacklining, reading, photography, cooking, adventuring... thinking abstractly, philosophy, making art, local food, climate action, human rights, etc.

• arts
• photography
• human rights
• dining
• cooking
• running
• clothing
• reading
• traveling
• backpacking
• camping
• rock climbing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: The Civil Wars, Blind Pilot, Mumford and Sons, Dave Matthews Band, Ingrid Michaelsen, Blue Foundation, The Naked and the Famous, Norah Jones, Michael Franti, Metric, Iron & Wine
Movies: Like Crazy, Dr. Strangelove, Anna and the King, Almost Famous, How to Train Your Dragon, The Big Lebowski, Blood Diamond, Crude, Food Inc.
Books: Borges' Aficiones, Bel Canto, The Curve of the World, Useful Girl, House of Spirits, Poisonwood Bible, A Grain of Wheat, The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Dead, A Tale of Two Cities, The God of Small Things, Neitzche

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In Bolivia in Spring 2010, I climbed a glacier called El Dente with a group of friends. From our base camp at 14,000 feet, we woke up at 2am to start climbing. Cupped in the bowl of the valley, the sky was so clear and dark and cold that stars filled every pocket of it. When it wasn't absolutely necessary to watch my feet, I was looking up. We reached the 17,400 foot summit at 8am, after a long, grueling climb. The sun broke over the mountains seconds before we hit the peak. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done (with consequences including trench foot for weeks after) but also incredibly rewarding. I'll never forget it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antarctica, Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Canada, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Ghana, India, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Kingdom, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Italy, Switzerland, Uganda, United States