CURRENT MISSION

Live one day at a time.

ABOUT ME

Megan: I grew up in a cabin out in the remote bush of Alaska about 50 miles from the nearest town or road with my parents and two siblings. There were no other people nearby, and the only way to get to our cabin was by boat in the summer (when the water was high), dog team, or by a small plane. We lived a fairly subsistence lifestyle, hunting moose in the fall and growing a garden and catching fish in the summer. We had a team of dogs who were not only sled dogs, helping my dad run a marten trapline in winter, but also some of my best friends growing up. In addition to mushing, I enjoyed skiing, canoeing, hiking, reading, and playing guitar.

When I was 18, I attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks where I graduated with a bachelor's degree in physics and math. Then Enzo and I spent two years in Saskatoon, Canada, where we each got a master's degree in mathematics. Afterward we took a year off and spent 8 months in South America. We started in Ecuador, then went to Peru, Argentina, and Chile. We did a mixture of traveling and working for room and board through workaway.

I also traveled a fair amount before going to South America. I have studied abroad in New Zealand for 6 months, spent two months in Japan where I stayed with a host family and learned Japanese, and traveled around Europe for two months (the countries I visited in Europe were Ireland, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy). I have also spent about three weeks in Mexico.

Now Enzo and I are working on our PhDs in mathematics at Washington State University in Pullman. We had a baby girl, Avani, in April 2016. Going to school and watching the baby takes up an enormous amount of our time, but we love meeting new people so we are excited to start hosting again.

Enzo: I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, but my family is from Europe (my mom is English and my dad is German). So as a kid I did a fair amount of traveling. As I got older I started doing more by myself including spending 9 months in France during high school during which I stayed with a host family. Other trips have included going to India for three months, hitchhiking around Europe (again for 3 months), and going to Mexico each Christmas for a number of years.

I attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which is where I met Megan. Like her, I graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics. Together we moved down to Saskatoon Canada where we got our master degrees in math. Now we are living in Washington state where we are working on our PhDs.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Our first couchsurfing experience was in Ireland in the summer of 2011. Then we became hosts in Fairbanks, Alaska, from September 2011 to May 2012. During the summer of 2012, we did a road trip, starting in Alaska and going through Canada and many of the states, doing a mixture of couchsurfing and camping. Then, while we were doing our master's in Saskatoon, Canada, we became hosts again. We are looking forward to hosting more once we start our PhDs in Pullman, Washington!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In June 2011 we tagged along and couchsurfed for the first time with Keane & Sarah & their little Amelia while meeting up in Ireland for a week. It was a great experience and from that time on we decided we wanted to become hosts for couchsurfing. We were hosts in Fairbanks from September 2011 to May 2012. During our road trip in summer 2012, we did quite a bit of couchsurfing. Then we were hosts for two years while we did our master's degree in Saskatoon, Canada. Hosting and couchsurfing has been a great experience and we hope to do more.

Interests

• dogs
• board games
• reading
• traveling
• guitar
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• mathematics

Music, Movies, and Books

Right now we are reading A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones) series, which is keeping us entertained.

Enzo's favorite series is the Ender series by Orson Scott Card.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In 2011 we spent two months hitch-hiking around Europe. Then we went on a long canoe trip, floating 80 miles down the Yukon from Eagle to the mouth of the Kandik River, and lining (pulling the canoe) up the Kandik 50 miles to visit family. Then we floated back out the Kandik and 80 miles to Circle, where we got a ride back to Fairbanks.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, United States