CURRENT MISSION

To constantly surprise myself

ABOUT ME

I prefer immersive travel to tourism. I enjoy meeting new people, though I admittedly have difficulty starting the conversation (once we get going, we're fine. My favorite thing about traveling (officially) is the experience of new places, new people, new cultures - my favorite thing about traveling (unofficially) is the local food!

I am a vegetarian most of the time. I don't have a problem being around meat eaters, and frequently when I travel I'll eat meat just to avoid inconveniencing the people I travel with (my vegetarianism doesn't spring from personal ethics)

PHILOSOPHY

To constantly surprise myself. At any given time, I want to be able to remember a recent time in history that still makes me think, "Holy crap, I did that?? Go me!"

I believe that balance is the most important thing in my life. Money is great, and its necessary to do some of the things I want to do, but it cannot take over my life or worldview, or I'll miss out on everything else. Socializing is fantastic, but I need solitude just as much. Flexibility is necessary, but so is having a metaphorical backbone.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have surfed once, and am up for hanging out in Pittsburgh. As for hosting, I have just a studio apartment, but I am now the proud owner of a twin xl mattress for courchsurfers. I work some odd hours (my management job at times requires me to work at 5 am) so I won't always be able to host people if my work schedule will require me to be gone the majority of their stay.

Interests

Hiking (mountains, flat trails, anything in NATURE)
Old architecture
History (especially cultural history)
Cooking new foods
Craft beer
Cemeteries (this is a weird one, but I love 18th and 19th century cemeteries - they're beautiful and they tie into the history interest)
Writing (creative non-fiction, fiction)
Castles, temples, old churches, old mosques, doors (ornate doors make my day - saw the old doors of the mosque at Mecca, on display in a museum, and was so excited!)
Flatwater and mild river Kayaking (I unfortunately do not own my own kayak, but if renting is an option...)
Dancing, going out, see the aforementioned craft beer

• writing
• architecture
• dancing
• ethics
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• indian food
• cheese
• beer
• vegetarian
• traveling
• socializing
• hiking
• kayaking
• history
• tourism
• mountains

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

For my 24th birthday, I jumped out of a plane. That was AWESOME! More awesome: Both my friend (who jumped with me) and I were both preceded in this daring endeavor by our mothers.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am a fabulous cook (with about half my recipes), and a pretty good cook for the other half. I make a mean loaded mac and cheese, and I am currently teaching myself how to make Indian food. I'm also pretty experienced at making recipes for those with food allergies (my mom has a gluten intolerance, so I've gotten good at modifying my recipes to not include wheat).

If you aren't interested in my cooking, I may bring you a plant.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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