Hey! I'm an easygoing, open, and friendly person looking to see some of the world. I'm in my final year of my undergrad degree at the University of Washington. I'm studying computer science, but in my personal time I try not to stick in front of a screen too much. My family raised me with long summer hikes and backpacking trips in the mountain ranges close to where I grew up, and it definitely rubbed off on me.

I was born in New Zealand, but grew up in the States, spent a semester studying in Sweden, and I'm currently looking forward to a brief month-long study program in Ghana. I'm lucky to be able to travel as much as I have, as it's something that I always love and learn a lot from. I usually spend most of my days in a new city walking around - checking off big sites, and also just getting a feel for the streets, buildings, murals, parks, and of course the food.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've never couchsurfed before, but I love the idea of it. I'm interested in meeting people from different backgrounds than me - If you'd like to spend time talking, cooking, teaching each other card games, or going around the city, I'm game!

Of course, if you'll be busy I respect that, I'm also happy to be more independent.

Interests

I'm queer and very interested in finding queer culture in its different forms around the world. If you can point me to a good gar bar to check out or a local queer performer, I'll be a happy camper. In Seattle, for instance, there's a monthly Drag King show which I can't praise enough.

• cats
• books
• board games
• live music
• hiking
• backpacking
• travel
• plants
• queer
• programming
• card games
• outer space

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Mostly indie and alternative, some pop, some folk, and recently I've been getting into hip-hop and rap - in particular if you have a favorite woman rapper, please send her name my way (I'm a fan of Syd from The Internet).

Movies: I love movies that make me laugh. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a great movie about a boy in the foster care system in New Zealand going on an adventure with his foster parent in the bush. Can't say much more without spoiling it, but the humor is on point - shoutout to the director Taika Waititi. Hot Fuzz is another of my go-tos, a satiric buddy cop movie, and Tokyo Godfathers, a heartwarming and wacky Christmas movie about homeless people in Tokyo who find an abandoned baby and decide to set out to find its parents.

Books: I'm still a big geek for Harry Potter, I like Crichton's Jurassic Park, the Bone comics, and I've been getting into Tamara Pierce novels recently.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've had a couple of internships at a company that builds rockets for delivering payloads, and eventually people, to space! I can hardly claim the credit for all the work that goes on there, but it was certainly an amazing experience.

I've also gone for an intentional but brief dunk in a frozen over lake in Sweden. :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you a card game or two - Schnapsen is a fast and somewhat complicated two-player game from Austria, or Up and Down the River, a group game my family usually plays with a round or two of drinks.

My cooking isn't the most fancy, but I can make a good pavlova for you if you like - it's a meringue-based dessert from New Zealand (or Australia, depending who you ask). I love them, so this is admittedly a self-serving offer. :)

I'm a student and am moving around pretty regularly, but as far as I'm concerned anyone who has welcomed me into their home is more than welcome into mine.

And finally I can share the perspective of what it's like to live under Trump, including any morbid questions you might have on the matter. Although I'll likely want a beer to accompany that conversation, part of the benefit of travel is getting away from home politics and the news cycle...

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Sweden, United States