Hi! I'm on a working holiday here in New Zealand. I graduated college last year and have been reveling in the freedom ever since! I worked the previous two summers in Sequoia National Park as a naturalist (I got paid to hike, what?!). I then went on a 3 month backpacking trip through Southeast Asia. I went with my best friend who ended up having to go home about a month in. After the initial 10 minutes of sheer panic at the thought of being left alone in Cambodia, I can now say that solo travel in one of the best things to ever happen to me. I love the freedom, empowerment, and all the experiences you only get through traveling alone. At the end of that trip I felt like I hadn't really positively contributed to the places I visited, so for my next trip I wanted to actively give back to my community. I got an internship at the permaculture research farm in Belize which worked with educating local Maya communities about how to value and care for their land. Back home, I spent the remainder of the year in Glacier National Park, Sequoia National Park, and then on the beautiful island of Santa Catalina, off the coast of California.

I can break down my goals in New Zealand into mind, body, and spirit. For mind, I am interested in expanding my knowledge of sustainable farming and I want to learn to sail, something I was exposed to and absolutely fell in love with on Catalina. For body, I want to test myself with hiking and backpacking, hopefully getting in all the great walks by the time I leave. Lastly, for spirit, I am looking into doing a multiple month work service exchange at a yoga ashram in Golden Bay.

I'm easy going, up for anything, friendly, interested in meaningful conversation and friendship, open-minded, and respectful. I think my best quality is an endless curiosity in all things so I'm curious to get to know you!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I used couch surfing during my semester abroad in Prague and met AMAZING people. Ultimately for me, it's the people that make travel meaningful and memorable.

Interests

ADVENTURE

• arts
• yoga
• meditation
• crafts
• reading
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• kayaking
• camping
• snorkeling
• languages
• organic farming
• paddleboarding

Music, Movies, and Books

The Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Patti Smith, Television, The Smiths, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Belle & Sebastian, St. Vincent, Arcade Fire, Beirut, London Grammar, Simon & Garfunkel, Fleet Foxes, Janis Joplin, Jim Croce, Morrissey, Neutral Milk Hotel, Purity Ring, Van Morrison, The Strokes, Tame Impala, Arlo Guthrie, Krishna Das, The Beatles, Steve Miller Band, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Eddie Vedder, Grace Slick, Jefferson Airlplane, - a lot more, I'm pretty into music!

Dostoyevsky, "Lord of the Rings", Tom Robbins, Thomas Hardy, "Les Miserables", Thich Nhat Hahn, "Wuthering Heights", "Frankenstein", Ram Dass, Albert Camus, "Anna Karenina", "A Confederacy of Dunces", JD Salinger, "Dracula", "The Prophet", "Ishmael", Herman Hesse, Aldous Huxley, "Just Kids"

I've been reading "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Murakami on and off for about a year now- a personal record of longest time to finish a book.

My favorite movie(s) is Lord of the Rings. I've wanted to come to New Zealand since first seeing the films when I was about 10. Obviously there are other reasons I'm here, but I'll be honest it was influential! I promise I won't refer to parts of your country as Middle Earth :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent two months on a completely off grid farm in Belize you had to trek 3 miles into. We grew our own food. Bathed and laundered in the river. And learned about permaculture and biodiversity!

Teach, Learn, Share

All good things ^

What I Can Share with Hosts

I think the best thing I can share with you a genuine interest in and gratitude for the world around me. I am always working on developing a sense of wonder and appreciation for the world. As a couchsurfer, this means I am interested in you, your town, your friends-basically really getting to know another culture. By getting to know another culture we can realize how alike we really are.

I also make a pretty good veggie curry I can totally share.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic