CURRENT MISSION

Travel as much as possible before getting stuck in graduate school!

ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Zoe. I graduated college May 2011 and have been spending the last 2 years working and traveling with my twin sister, Lily. I'm going to grad school for a PhD in Animal Cognition this fall at Oakland University. I'm a science nerd, outdoors enthusiast, and animal lover.

PHILOSOPHY

I guess I kind of follow evolution in a spiritual way. I look at everything from a biological/evolutionary point of viewpoint first and use that as a lens to view and interpret the world- from basic musing such as the evolution of laughter to the meaning of life and how I am connected to and a part of the earth, animals, humans, and the universe. I also use this viewpoint to inform my understanding of human behavior and relationships, including morality.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have couch surfed once and it was an awesome experience. I would like to surf more to meet new people when I travel to cities (I usually am out in the wilderness when I travel). And once I have my own place, I'd love to host!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Awesome.

Interests

I like hiking, backpacking, and camping (sometimes at night, often with binoculars for bird watching though I don't know very many species yet). I also like disc golf, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, skiing (basically everything outdoorsy). I always have a book with me (science fiction or fantasy for fiction, science/animals for the non-fiction). I'm a horse person, so I love going on trail rides in the places I visit (horses are excellent tour guides). I'm fascinated by animal-human interactions and communication (how animals read us and how we read them). I love dancing (contra dance and swing dance mostly though I want to learn blues, tango, and more types of swing and how to lead). I'm a board gamer (Settlers of Catan, Race for the Galaxy), but I also like video games and computer games (Portal is the best thing EVER). I like table top role playing (though I'd like to get into LARPing), though I haven't done any in a while. I'm generally willing to try new things and like ending up in situations/places where I can say "Wow I never imagined I'd be doing this here!"

• animals
• pets
• horses
• birds
• books
• dancing
• tango
• cooking
• baking
• video games
• traveling
• blues
• outdoor activities
• equestrian
• hiking
• backpacking
• canoeing
• kayaking
• camping
• snorkeling
• sailing
• skiing
• swimming
• golf
• science
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Science books such as: Darwin (Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals), The Mind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich, Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity. Novels such as: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, House of Suns by Alistair Reynolds, The Bear by James Oliver Curwood...

Music is bits here and there from almost every genre. I like country (blame the ranches I've worked on), modern folksy/alternative (also known as the singer/songwriter genre), Celtic, tradiotional, and world music, Disney soundtracks...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went on a horseback riding tour in Iceland after graduating high school for six days and rode past pools of boiling water and mud of semi-active volcanoes. I also visited South Africa and got to see a baby elephant chasing a warthog in Addo Elephant park, as well as pet a Cheetah and ride and Ostrich.

Teach, Learn, Share

-Horse behavior (for meeting wild ponies and making friends)
-Positive Reinforcement Animal Training
-Blowing bubble rings...
-Sexing fruit flies (microscope required)
-Baking cookies (sometimes)
(I also like washing dishes, especially if you like cooking).

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Iceland, India, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States