CURRENT MISSION

To advance personal learning and share all I can with the people I meet in my life. Other missions include: go birdwatching in each one of the 50 states; advocate for environmental justice in my student and professional work.

ABOUT ME

I'm a student at the University of Illinois (currently taking half a year to travel and study abroad!). When I'm done with school, I plan to work in environmental consulting and/or advocacy, after grad school of course!

PHILOSOPHY

We all have much to learn from each other.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I don't have space of my own right now, so I can't host. However, I am eager to travel and surf, meeting new friends wherever I go :)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Haven't had many CS trips in the US but I have enjoyed them!

Interests

Music
Arthropod pets
Herp pets
Cooking (!)
Eating (!!!)
Hiking/tramping
Meeting new people
Birding and herping
Exploring parks and natural places
Snakes
Not wearing shoes
Obscure instruments
Reading
Learning
..And more!

• pets
• books
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• trivia
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• biology
• ecology
• study abroad
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Mixed up ... there is no pattern to it.

Books:
I haven't anywhere to start on this one. So many!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Swam with a group of whale sharks feeding on the sea surface and got plankton in my hair.

Teach, Learn, Share

Practical knowledge: I am a passable cook and musician, an above-average birder and a decent herpetologist.

Book knowledge: I know a little about evolution of adaptive biological systems, bird, reptile and amphibian biology and ecology, and scientific trivia about all kinds of organisms and systems.

Knowledge I want -- everything! Of special relevance: knowledge of local food, of popular contemporary and historical music, and of local flora, fauna and ecosystems. But all knowledge is also welcome.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- Recipes
- Bird ID tips
- Truly random facts and trivia
- Knowledge of university bureaucratic policy
- Weird nature facts
- Music
- Strange taste in books
- Stories of very mild adventures

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United States