CURRENT MISSION

World peace

ABOUT ME

I'm hoping to teach my way around the world. Recent gigs: China, Poland, and Japan. Next stop: Your country???

Despite my love for travel, I'm a total homebody. I'd much rather get to know someone in a coffee house or a living room than at a bar or party.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I discovered couchsurfing at age 27 and it completely changed the way I travel. Now I'm far less interested in hitting the "must-see" sights and taking pictures, and would rather take my time to get to know locals and see how their lives and cultures are different from mine. In general, couchsurfing and couchsurfers I've met have made me more trusting, hospitable, and adventurous.

I have more experience surfing than hosting because for most of my Couchsurfing years I lived with roommates who never warmed up to the idea of interesting people from far-away places sleeping in our living room. Now that I have my own place with a spare room, I'm happy to be able to give back to the Couchsurfing community.

Interests

Eating and cooking new foods, hiking, running, biking, swimming, triathlons, trying new things, postponing adulthood.

Two of my favorite things to do in new places are:

1. Explore by bicycle. Just the right pace for me. Much faster than walking, but you can still reach places cars and trains won’t take you.

2. Go grocery shopping. I think you can learn a lot about a culture from their markets and supermarkets. It’s a fun place to observe people and learn about the local cuisine.

• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• running
• walking
• cycling
• hiking
• swimming

Music, Movies, and Books

I tend to like books and movies that can teach me something - especially ones with cultural or historical significance. I used to read a lot of books about China when I lived there, but I found that almost all of them depressed or upset me. They've had a rough century. I'd welcome recommendations for happy books about China.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I taught English and studied Chinese in Wuhan, China from 2004-2008. If you want to hear stories, I can go on for hours.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love sharing and discussing food. Let's teach each other our favorite recipes!

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Japan, Poland, United States