Hi! I'm Marissa. I'm from the United States (southeast-ish Michigan), lived and worked in a small town in the French Alps, and then moved to Detroit. I hadn't done a ton of international travel before moving to France, but then I changed that drastically. Now that I'm back in Michigan, I'm trying to explore my home even more and carve out some time for international travel, too.

For me, every new place I visit has such an edge to it -- nothing is routine or just like another place. Everything is new and unparalleled. I feel really wide-eyed, strong-footed, what have you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm looking to be in lots of different places with people who really know and love them.

Interests

Hiking, skiing, dancing (ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, etc.), reading, writing, art in general, wandering, eating, canoeing, poetry, the environment, camping, the outdoors, avocados, citrus, coffee, mountains, lakes/rivers/oceans, academic and every other kind of learning.

• arts
• writing
• poetry
• dancing
• ballet dancing
• environment
• cooking
• breakfast
• coffee
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• jazz
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• canoeing
• camping
• skiing
• lakes
• rivers
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: The Avett Brothers, Sufjan Stevens, Langhorne Slim, Band of Horses, Beyoncé, Frontier Ruckus, Iron and Wine, Paul Baribeau, The Dodos, The Tallest Man On Earth, Jeff Mangum / Neutral Milk Hotel, Michael Beauchamp, Daisy May, Dr. Dog, Blind Pilot, Shakey Graves, First Aid Kit, Deer Tick, The Mountain Goats, Bob Dylan

Movies: I rarely watch movies, whoops

Books: Anything by Aracelis Girmay, Wallace Stevens, Emily Dickinson, francine j harris, Eduardo Corral, Ross Gay, Miranda July, Lorrie Moore, Henry David Thoreau, Claudia Rankine, and about a million others

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: poetry, some pretty fun dance moves, bizarre US politics and policy, camping techniques, French and English, etc.

Learn: I have no idea yet! I want to go into each Couchsurfing experience with a completely open mind so I can be receptive to learning anything and everything that comes my way

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversation, an easygoing presence, politeness and courtesy (AKA I'll be extremely respectful of your time / living space / schedule / etc.), a damn good breakfast made by yours truly (if cooking resources are available), tons of recommendations about US and Canadian travel, stories on stories on bad jokes on stories, cultural exchange... just being another person to meet while traveling!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States