CURRENT MISSION

unlearning the separations between people, ideas, and nature. while having a very good time.

ABOUT ME

Grew up in North Carolina, went to study in France when I was sixteen and have never been able to stay back in America for more than a few months. Everywhere I go I learn a lot and realize that I don't know much at all - and that feels very good. Thinking of others on a small, immediate scale (how can I help you have a great day) and also on a larger scale (what's the best way I can use my life to make the most other people's lives more fulfilling). To do this I need to understand many things - enough to fill my whole life with learning. Awesome!!!

I like to climb, hike, run, dance, sing, make funny contraptions, read gobs of books all at the same time so that they start to feel like friends that I'm playing favorites with, swim to little islands holding everything above my head and then sleep there, meet random people and trust them, learn new languages, make mistakes that are hilarious, begin to feel that the timeline makes sense, practice my violin where nobody gets hurt, get slightly drunk and paint portraits of people I've just met, thank mothers for being patient in general, and ride bicycles down streets I don't know.

PHILOSOPHY

Well, I've gone from very serious Christian to complete humanist philosophy student in the last 6 years, so I'm pretty much interested in any sorts of theories, as long as they're well articulated and make sense within the historical narrative. But yeah, I live and let live. And take lots of photos. And scribble in lots of journals. And always walk around with a book. And just ask people to tell stories, and then draw them a portrait. And that's how I like to learn.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I like to attend barbecues, lake trips, bar meet-ups, and whatever's going on. i like to couchsurf with folks who are open minded, curious, and good communicators.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been couchsurfing since about 2008, hosting, and spending a few weeks a year here and there bumping around from cs friend to friend on surprise trajectories : )

Interests

Oh mannnn, the Vienna meet-up in 2009 was crazy. I met FlohFish, and along with a bunch of other people we got drunk down by the Danube and then ran through the suburbs to a lake and went swimming naked, then all played and sang and took naps on the grass. It was sooooo nice!

• books
• singing
• dancing
• running
• partying
• painting
• drawing
• violin
• cycling
• hiking
• rock climbing
• swimming
• emergency services
• languages
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

history, philosophy, theory of art, film (the italians are my loves, fellini in particular, but i also go for french new wave, and love david lynch and jim jarmoush), absurdist fiction, greek poetry, french existentialism.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

when wandering about the little village of giza at the foot of the pyramids in egypt late one evening, i saw a beautiful little arabian horse. her owner came out to talk to me, then i smoked shisha with the horse men and the police men, and then they asked if i wanted to ride the horse. of course i said yes, so we saddled them up and began riding through the trash dump towards the desert. a plastic bag suddenly flew up in front of my horse and she freaked out, bucking and rearing and spinning. and my saddle wasn't on very tightly, so i just slid off. but i got the horse back, tightened the saddle, and got back on. and then we rode through giza, a crazy bright and loud nighttime city. there was a wedding party, a carnival, tons of kids and trash and a few camels, restaurants and gardens. we made it through and into a dark and quiet, moonlit old 15th century ottoman cemetery. suddenly we were out of the cemetery and in the sahara desert. it was hills of low-lit blue and purple sand, with a clear dark indigo sky spotted with stars above. we were trotting. then we cantered, and began galloping. the night air was that temperature that doesn't register a sensation at all. and as soon as we began cutting through the night, i felt a tingling on my skin and realized it was the air moving past, faster and faster. the horse's hooves struck the sand and then immediately sunk in, giving me the impression of floating as we flew along across the dunes. we galloped and galloped and i was standing up in my sandals, leaning forward with my arms holding the reigns full-out, my bandanna flapping behind me, and the loud breaths of the horse the loudest sound. we came to a bedouin tent on top of a dune behind the pyramids, about 1km away. they gave us tea and then we sat and smoked and looked out at the pyramids, huge and dark, geometric mountains blocking out the stars.

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to trade skills, so if you're interested I am always ready to teach people how to draw portraits of themselves or others. Also, English/French/German language practice, climbing pairs, bike accompaniment, anything fun that you or I know how to do I would love to share!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, United States

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