CURRENT MISSION

Wherever you go, wherever you end up, reflect on and enjoy it.

ABOUT ME

I grew up in Minnesota, lived in Maine for 4 years (attending Bowdoin College), and moved to Seattle (September 2011) to work at an environmental consulting company. In September 2015 I started my master's degree studies, focused on flood risk management. The program takes place in a few different countries around Europe, starting in Germany.
I came from a wonderful family, both immediate and extended.
I'm happy to talk about most things. Ask me questions and I will likely answer.

PHILOSOPHY

Be honest. Be intentional. Enjoy.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I started as a host and an attendee of CS coffee meetups in Seattle. I haven't yet surfed, but will someday soon.

Interests

Singing, dancing, playing soccer, swapping stories, being outside, sharing adventures, solo adventures, reading, learning languages, cooking/baking, biking, etc.

• singing
• concerts
• dancing
• cooking
• coffee
• baking
• walking
• partying
• house parties
• reading
• music
• cycling
• soccer
• languages
• nursing

Music, Movies, and Books

I prefer to enjoy music rather than not, which means I have many styles with which I'm somewhat familiar, but I am very open to hearing new ones. My music library is heavily influenced by people with whom I've crossed paths. I admit, names/brands/groups/etc don't always stick in my head. But once they do, they're in for good.
I have loved reading since I was young, and I am SO glad that I have been able to reconnect with reading since graduating. I love to talk about them too... and always open to a good suggestion.
Movies can be wonderful. I think I like them best when shared.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The soprano sang again.
I was in the Wayzata Chamber Singers in high school, a group that learned a collection of holiday songs to be performed at various venues in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area - banks, house parties, lobby of the concert hall, etc. Some of my favorite gigs, however, were the ones when we went to nursing homes. At this one home, I forget which one exactly, we had finished all of our sets and were collecting our things to drive home when one of the staff members came over to us. She said that one of the women had been a soprano when she was young, but was rather unresponsive these days and hadn't spoken for quite some time. The staff woman was very moved though, because, during one of our last songs, Silent Night, the soprano sang again. She sang along with us.
The best part is that it isn't all that unique a story. How could it be, with so many opportunities for it to occur all over the world?

Teach, Learn, Share

Hmmm, well, I am always happy to talk about things I have studied. The two topics that come to mind are Noise (and how it can reveal unequal power relationships) and sea level rise (especially in terms of impact on coastal infrastructure, but more broadly as well)
In my current job, I have also been lucky enough to start exploring the world of home energy efficiency upgrades from multiple perspectives (can I claim that? well, I at least get to talk about it with people on all sides of the process)
I also love to talk about "alternative transportation" - my term for basically biking, walking, and public transit. This was a focus of my studies and internship in Ecuador.
I love talking about singing and music in general. Good luck if you get me started on that...

What I Can Share with Hosts

It depends on where I'm living at the time.

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Japan, Kenya, Nicaragua, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, Germany, Netherlands, United States