We are currently traveling and will be back in NYC in August and able to host and meet up then!

Hey there fellow travelers!
I am an American, raised in Ohio but have spent my adult life in North Carolina (and now New York!).
I come from a bicultural background my mother is Indian and my father American (a little bit of Swedish, French, English and who knows what else). Because of this dual-world I live in I've always been fascinated with language, culture and travel. I've decided to make learning as many languages as I can and understanding culture my career. I am an artist, archaeologist and cultural anthropologist.
I have had the travel itch since I was in middle school. I knew I would travel as soon as I was old enough and when I graduated high school I traveled for a year.
Since then I have only been able to do short stints a few months here and there.

My boyfriend and I are also on a salsa dance team (that's where we met) so if you see me randomly dancing at times don't be alarmed. It's my other passion next to travel.

Speaking of which, my boyfriend Yin Song and I usually travel together. He was born in China and spent his early childhood there before moving to the US. We are very similar when it comes to travel and adventure. Both of us love anything outdoors and our goal is to experience local culture. Yin is a foodie, he loves everything about food, cooking, eating, exploring. He'll be happy to help in the kitchen or cook a meal for you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I heard great things about couchsurfing from friends while I was traveling in Spain and decided to give it a try.

Once I started there was no going back. I love couchsurfing. It's such a great way to travel and I've learned more about local culture than I had hoped and have made some great friends along the way.

Interests

My interests include camping and nature; history; dance; cultural experiences; art and archaeology and most importantly ADVENTURE and ANYTHING NEW.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• architecture
• dancing
• salsa dancing
• tango
• bachata
• ballet dancing
• waltz
• seafood
• walking
• traveling
• jazz
• backpacking
• camping
• rock climbing
• anthropology
• history
• languages
• volunteering
• archaeology
• outdoors
• climbing
• wild camping

Music, Movies, and Books

I hate this survey question, who can actually rank music, movies and books?
Preferences are so dependent on where I am in my journey and how I'm feeling that day.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Lived in a country/town where I didn't speak the language (Spanish) and no one spoke my language (English).

By the end of high school I had enough saved up for a gap-year. I deferred my admission to UNC-CH and went to live in Paraguay with a host family as a volunteer for one year. It was an amazing experience, and there is not enough time or space to go into it now. I loved the feeling of independence and sense of adventure there is when traveling in a completely foreign land. I didn't even speak Spanish when I went (I am now fluent).
You'd be surprised how quickly the human brain can adapt (side effects include: becoming a walking comic strip, winning every game of charades thereafter, and a month-long headache).

Teach, Learn, Share

I dance: ballroom (waltz, chacha, tango, foxtrot, samba, swing, jive, etc.), latin (salsa, bachata, merengue, etc), modern, ballet, jazz, etc.
I love to dance, any place, any time, with anyone and I love to teach dance.

I'm looking to learn anything and everything new (especially languages) from those willing to teach.

And of course sharing travel stories is a must.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am an artist (not saying I'm a great artist but I like to sketch) and a dancer. I'll be sure to have a sketchpad and some charcoal or paints with me to leave behind some work as a gift for your hospitality.
I can also give a dance lesson if you'd like! (You'll be sure to see me dancing around at random moments anyways)
My boyfriend is also great at teaching dance and he cooks and would love to share recipes and help in the kitchen.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, England, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Palestine, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Paraguay, United States