CURRENT MISSION

Make my life more analog

ABOUT ME

I sit here completely overhauling my profile information in a Berlin café, 14 July 2013, 20:59 (although I am American I believe in the practicality of a 24-hour clock). Sometimes life throws you some curve balls and you have to adjust, and update your profile accordingly. I have a Ph.D. in linguistics and had very career-oriented plans, first with a professor job in Canada, then in a post-doc in Germany, until I realized this wasn't the type of life I wanted to live for too many reasons to mention here. I thus quit my job (last day: 19 April 2013) and have been living in Berlin ever since, with an emphasis on *living*; not sleeping through my days, not doing things that are too comfortable. Currently I don't have plans to go back to work; I might travel more or I might stay here a bit more. When I do eventually make money it will probably be doing something creative, or doing something else to make money while doing something creative as a passion. But that is for another update.

I've lived in the U.S. (Minneapolis, Boulder CO, Buffalo NY), France (Paris, Nancy), Canada (Edmonton) and now Germany (Tübingen, Berlin). I've traveled in North America, Europe, South America, and a bit in Asia.

PHILOSOPHY

Don't spend too much time on the computer filling out excessive numbers of fields.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I go to CS meetings and events sometimes. I've stayed with other couch surfers and write references for everyone I know on CS, with special attention to female solo travelers as I've often been in that position and feel it's important for everyone to feel safe when they travel. Everyone has the right to travel alone, as freely as they want to!

As soon as I'm in a position to host people I will, but for now am sort of floating around and can't offer a crash space.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Stayed with people, gone to meetings. Will host as soon as I can.

Interests

Having real experiences, preferably with similarly open people. Reading. Caféing. Exploring. Dancing (partner and contemporary). Running. Biking. Dreaming. Pondering. Meaningful conversations. Doing things that bring me or others joy. Escaping from the drudgery of routines, and then happily going back to the comfort they provide.

• dancing
• marathon
• running
• reading
• traveling
• bouldering
• cycling
• teaching
• hitchhiking
• solo travel

Music, Movies, and Books

While movies, music, and books have the potential to touch me deeply I don't believe my preferences in them speak to my essence.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiking across Portugal and Spain. Living in Paris. Getting a French university degree. Living in Berlin. Seeing my family and friends. Running a marathon. Plum Village health retreat. Thousands upon thousands of beautiful moments, alone or shared.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can learn from everyone, it's just that some people are easier teachers for me than others.