CURRENT MISSION

I have been a traveling street musician for about 4 years playing mainly the marimba. =) I just sold my small RV that I lived and traveled in, because it broke down way too much and was incredibly expensive to fix. Every penny I made went into that thing, and I just didn't want to keep up with it any more. So now, I'm in between things. Trying to find out what I want to do with my Life, and where I want to do it. Possibly saving up for a new home-on-wheels to continue my busking adventures, but until then, I want to travel some more - preferably overseas. =)

I am currently in Istanbul, Turkey living with my cousins while nannying for their two kids (a 4 and ~1 yr old). However, as of October, I'll be free to travel for a few weeks before flying back home to the United States.

ABOUT ME

I am in my mid-twenties and have a incurable infection of the soul to SEE THE WORLD (if not the galaxy) and do what I love most for as long as I can. I'm a musician trying to get by with my unconventional ways. =)
I'm a very empathetic, open-minded ambivert (both introverted and extroverted) who gets along with pretty much everyone and loves to meet new people. I love kids, because I'm basically still a kid, myself. I find the purest of joy in the simplest of things like thunder storms, looking out the window while taking off in an airplane, laying outside and staring at the stars, and watching bugs do buggy things.

PHILOSOPHY

Live Free and Let Live Freely!! I Live in the present moment and go with the ever-changing flow of this beautiful, heart-wrenching life. I Love all of Life, including not only the ups, but the downs, too. You can't have light without darkness!
I believe Energy is "God." It is what connects all Life - all objects - in this Universe. It was what created the Universe to begin with, forms Solar Systems, moves mountains, and pushes and pulls the oceans. It is what flows within us and out of us. I believe the Energy we put out is the Energy we attract. There is Good Energy and Bad Energy - and we can all, instinctually feel these Energies radiate off of different people and animals whether we're aware of it or not. It takes the form of vibrations, that may not be able to be seen or touched, but most definitely can be felt and can have physical effects on other people, animals, and things. Because of this, I always try to stay positive - think, feel, and speak positively while Loving everyone and everything around me, even if they're full of negativity. You can't fight fire with fire. Only Love can defeat Hate. This pretty much sums up my religion. =)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I couchsurfed and lived out of my car during my last year in college to save what I would've spent on rent so I could buy my RV and marimba. I had enough friends in my small college town to not need a website to help me do it, but the idea was the same. Someone has space that isn't being used at nights. Someone else needs a place to sleep. Someone #1 lets someone #2 use said space in exchange for company, good times, music, food, housework, or sometimes nothing at all other than the simple joy of helping a friend in need.

I didn't learn about this website until I met this guy at Burning Man who was a part of the CouchSurfers camp. We talked for a while. I told him about my traveling lifestyle. He told me about this awesome website. I was stoked about the thought of it, so as soon as I got back into civilization, I found it and joined.

I love the idea of sharing your space with the people around you. Part of the reason why I chose my lifestyle as a traveling street musician is because I dislike the way our society is so dependent on money as our main form of currency. I dislike the system that we are forced to become slaves to - making us all helplessly and endlessly reliant on this paper currency. It feels so insincere and corrupt. Yet, I've got no choice but to submit to it to some degree (especially since I'm in so much debt from my college degree..) I, sadly, need it to survive. So, I figured, if I have to make it.. at least I'll do so by doing what I love to do: playing music and making people smile! Anything that helps us pull out of that system, while bringing us closer together as a Human Race, is an A+ in my book. And Couchsurfing is just that.

I think Couchsurfing is a great way to get to know more like-minded people who want to travel and see the world through the eyes of locals on a cheap budget. It's efficient. It makes sense. It's just plain smart!

Interests

I Love:
- Practicing Yoga and Meditation
- Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, Swimming - basically, if I'm outdoors, I'm Happy
- Traveling and exploring new places
- Laughing (I'm a sucker for puns)
- Playing music! (I play percussion, marimba, piano, guitar, ukulele and flute, and have written about 8 songs)
- Positive Energy
- Different Cultures, people and lifestyles
- Human Development (I find it amazing how complex the human mind is, yet - despite our incredible advancements in technology and society - we are still the same primitive animals that we always have been)
- Taking care of our planet and ALL of its inhabitants
- Math and Science! (Geology and astronomy mostly. Space Rocks..!) =P

• wine
• red wine
• yoga
• meditation
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• piano
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• swimming
• astronomy
• geology
• mathematics
• science
• ukulele
• friends
• exploring new places
• family
• kids
• space
• love
• space exploration
• vanlife
• marimba

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all types of music (except for hick-pop and new hip-hop).
I'm not very good at catagorizing genres, but my favorite music to listen to is probably described as singer-songwriter indie or blues folk? And of course good, ol' Classic Rock.
Some of my favorite groups right now include:
- Josh Ritter
- The Tallest Man on Earth
- Joe Pug
- Andrew Bird
- Nick Drake
- Alt-J
- Emancipator
- Grizzly Bear
- Lord Huron
- The Lumineers
- Shaky Graves
- Kings of Leon
- Paul Simon

As for books, I don't read as much as I would like to.. but when I do, I like anything that takes logic and imagination to transport me to an other-worldly adventure. I love Kurt Vonnegut's stuff.
My favorite book right now is probably "Jitterbug Perfume" by Tom Robbins.

My movie game is pretty weak, as well.. Although when I think about my favorite movies, a few do come to mind:
- Idiocracy (A comedy from the mid-2000's hilariously depicting a future distopia that is scarily close to what is happening in today's world..)
- Moonrise Kingdom (And anything Wes Anderson has ever made)
- Back the the Future trilogy
- The 10th Kingdom

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Burning Man! I've gone 5 times and met my boyfriend there 3 years ago.

Can I name two? ...Because I just recently went up in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey during sunrise and It. Was. Incredible.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- I can give music theory lessons or teach simple chord progressions to those interested in learning how to play music!
- For those who already know how to play an instrument, I am always down to jam.
- And for those just wanting to listen, I can serenade your shared space with my music anytime.
- I craft unique, braided carabiners that I give away as gifts to people I meet. I can make sure to have some to give to any of my hosts and/or their friends. =)
- Cleanliness. I am one of the cleanest and organized people, and extremely respectful of other people's space - always leaving an area better than I found it.
- A positive, loving and refreshing attitude... and lots of hugs (if that's not out of your comfort zone)!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Mexico, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States