CURRENT MISSION

I believe in the power of stories. I love to hear other people's stories in order to understand the complexity of the world outside my own. Traveling provides me with an opportunity to exactly this!

ABOUT ME

I am living in Prague temporarily working on a contract for a media development NGO. I have previously lived in Moldova and Nepal and have done lots of traveling and surfing in between!

In 2011, I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and I have been on the road ever since. I spent the summer of 2011 backpacking through Europe with my sister, and this was my intro to Couchsurfing. I then moved to Moldova to teach English at Cahul State University for a year. After my contract ended in Moldova, I headed to Nepal where I live now. Here I work with women's NGOs and do LOTS of yoga.

I feel very blessed to have had opportunities to travel, to challenge myself to look at the world from different perspectives, and to meet so many extraordinary people. Looking forward to more couchsurfing adventures!

PHILOSOPHY

Like I say in my mission, I believe in stories. If more people took the time to just listen to where others are coming from or how others arrive at the decisions they make or opinions they maintain, the world might be a different place. Oversimplifications and stereotypes are, in my opinion, best combated by stories and personal accounts that tend to counter those unjust explanations.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am hoping to be a part of a larger community of people who value personal connections and mutual understanding, regardless of cultural background.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I currently have very limited couch surfing experience, but am really looking to change that.

My host-sister in Serbia was really into Couchsurfing, and we had a couch surfer from Denmark on his way to Greece stay with us for a few days. I thought this was really an excellent way to meet people and to learn about a place from a better perspective than a tourist booklet.

I did some Couchsurfing in Europe (stayed with three hosts), but that is all until now!

Interests

In my spare time, I love to read. Since I'm a huge nerd, this usually entails biographies and non-fiction, but I do enjoy a classic Russian novel or a trendy New York Times bestseller every now and then.

I'm a dancer! I danced in-studio my whole life, and then joined a dance company in college. I play tennis and LOVE water sports, and I also practice Sivananda yoga.

• books
• performing arts
• dancing
• coffee
• yoga
• drinking
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• backpacking
• surfing
• sports
• tennis
• communications

Music, Movies, and Books

You know those people who say they like "everything?" That's me. I enjoy all kinds of music, just depends on the mood, the crowd and the backdrop.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I learned to drink coffee properly, as in, for 2-3 hours, while studying in Bosnia.

I got engaged at Kala Patthar while looking at Mt. Everest with my own two eyes-a very special moment indeed.

Teach, Learn, Share

Learn:
Looking to start a travel blog for my travels during the next year, would love any blogging tips! Also, would love any travel/backpacking tips.

Teach:
For dancers, you can make performance modern/lyrical shoes out of nude-colored socks, don't buy them! Cut out two holes at the tip of the sock, one for your big toe, one for your four toes. Then cut the sock mid-foot :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Italy, Jamaica, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Russian Federation, Serbia, Ukraine, United States

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