Sometimes I think I'm in love with everyone on this planet. Other times I think I'm in love with everyone on every other planet.

Two years ago I got a degree from the University of Michigan, double-majoring in English and Creative Writing, because apparently that's not redundant. Then, I successfully tricked the Japanese government into thinking I'm something resembling a "real adult," and spent a year teaching English to elementary and junior high school students in rural Mie prefecture, Japan, which was so much more fun than I ever imagined a "real adult" job could be.

Now, I'm going to spend some time traveling around Europe and Asia, hitchhiking, WWOOFing, Couchsurfing, and doing everything else I can to meet as many beautiful people and have as many wonderful experiences as I can, and maybe somewhere along the way figure out what I want to do with my life or find myself or some cliche nonsense like that.

I built a roughly 5'x7'x2' ball pit (as seen in my profile picture) in the basement of my house in college. Because I'm a "real adult."

My favorite sound in the world is laughter. Nothing can make me laugh like hearing other people laugh.

Sometimes I wish my name was Jotunheim.

I want to be the very best, like no one ever was. To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause.

My life philosophy, as written by someone else: "And why do you think that foolishness is bad? If human foolishness had been as carefully nurtured and cultivated as intelligence has been for centuries, perhaps it would have turned into something extremely precious." - We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because it's one of the most brilliant applications of this thing we call the internet I've ever come across. Traveling, it's a way to add the magic of interpersonal connection and friendship to a trip that might otherwise be spent in the boring pristine loneliness of a hotel room - or a way to create an amazing trip from scratch out of nothingness. And hosting, it's a way to provide that experience for others, and enrich your own life with their presence at the same time.

In the summer of 2013, I traveled around the western US with another Couchsurfer from Poland for a few weeks. We stayed with other Couchsurfers in a number of cities, and traveled for a week with two others to see a variety of national parks. Everything about the experience was incredible, and every person I met was incredibly interesting. I wanted to host when I lived in Japan, but my house was very out of the way and no one seemed to travel there. I know I'll host some day, but for now, I'm looking to make some more incredible experiences in my travels.

Interests

Everything, writing, reading, hiking, cooking, gaming, laughing, causing laughter, peoplewatching, exploring new places, exploring old places, daydreaming, nightdreaming, walking around town in silly outfits, discovering new interests!

• writing
• books
• literature
• dining
• cooking
• japanese food
• walking
• technology
• anime
• video games
• board games
• reading
• traveling
• magic
• hiking
• camping
• hitchhiking
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: A little bit of pretty much everything, and I'm always interested in learning about new bands I never would have heard of.
Some random favorites: Alt-J, Boards of Canada, Delicate Steve, Explosions in the Sky, Feint, Galantis, Glass Animals, Goo Goo Dolls, Grizzly Bear, Marina and the Diamonds, Matchbox 20, Odesza, Pink Floyd, Porter Robinson, Portugal. the Man, Radiohead, Reptar, The Shins, Slow Magic, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Tycho, Waxahatchee
Also, Ke$ha is my spirit animal.

Movies: Anything well-written... hard to narrow down favorites, since they're so diverse. Or anything so poorly written that it's good in a way - stuff like The Room, Logan's Run, Snakes on a Plane...

Books: All graphic novels, particularly of the superhero genre - favorite series are Runaways, The Invisibles, and Transmetropolitan. Most books, particularly of the science fiction, fantasy, and humor genres - some favorites include A Song of Ice and Fire, George Orwell's 1984, Haruki Murakami, and Kurt Vonnegut.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the summer of 2012, I participated in a program at the University of Michigan known as the New England Literature Program (NELP). Myself, 39 other students, and 14 instructors went to live at a camp in Maine for about 45 days. We voluntarily forfeited all technology, mind-altering substances, and many other conveniences of the "real world" and lived in an intentional community where everyone worked, learned, played and lived together. We intensely read and studied famous New England writers like Frost, Dickinson, Stevens, Emerson, and Thoreau. We went on trips and hikes all around the New England every week, culminating in a climb to the summit of Mt. Washington. We avidly wrote in journals which were a combination of the academic, the personal, the everything. Everyone felt completely comfortable and free with each other, and openness - both physical and mental - was encouraged and fostered in pretty much everyone. I could go on for pages and pages about all the amazing details of this experience, but suffice it to say, it changed my life. It's the reason I'm here. I never would have imagined doing something like this before NELP. Before it, I thought I just wanted to get on some straight career path and head in one direction, but it opened my mind to so many possible experiences that I never would have considered myself interested in before. Now I want to head in every direction.

Teach, Learn, Share

Is "yes please" a sufficient answer to this?

I know a lot about various nerdy things - comic books, video games, anime, board games and card games... I know stuff about non-nerdy things, too, and though it's easiest to list the nerdy things, I believe everyone, myself included, has a unique combination of knowledge and skills that they can't sum up in a simple list.
I'm also somewhat kind of decent at cooking, I think, both American and Japanese food!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to teach people how to play the Pokemon card game, or any other number of games if I have them with me. I could also teach you some Japanese. I would be more than happy to cook for or with you, too!

I'm very flexible, and can go along with pretty much any requirements for guests you have or any plans you'd be gracious enough to include me in. I want to experience everything and anything I can in this life, so I'm game for just about anything you might want to do.

I'm not always the best at coming up with my own conversational topics, but if someone initiates a conversation, I do love talking about just about anything, especially if the person I'm talking to is passionate about it. As with everyone, I'm more knowledgeable on some topics than on others, but I'll try my best to engage in any discussion ^^;

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States