***As a general disclaimer, I never use couchsurfing to hookup with people, so I don't welcome requests or offers to host with this intention. Figure I would just put that out there. :) ***

CURRENT MISSION

Spider-whisperer

ABOUT ME

I am a biologist-in-training who enjoys new experiences and is enthralled by nature! I am currently a graduate student at the University of Tennessee, working on a PhD regarding spider behaviors. Why spiders? I actually used to be petrified of them, but after taking a spider biology course in college (Go Bears!), realized that arachnids are utterly fascinating. I think spiders are fairly misunderstood animals, and like the idea of being an advocate for them. They also make great study organisms, and are interesting enough that I uprooted myself from my Bay Area life and moved to the South to specifically study with a spider professor. As such, I'm not a local and I don't necessary know a lot about the local history of Knoxville and Tennessee, just as a disclaimer.
While grad school can be all-consuming, I hope to continue to connect with people through couchsurfing and hosting.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've surfed pretty extensively in south Florida, due to the nature of my research. I try to combine field work with couchsurfing, since working by myself all day in intense field conditions can be an isolating experience. Getting to interact with local hosts in the evening is how I reward myself. :) As a result of the overwhelming hospitality I have received, I am eager to host travelers who share the couchsurfing mentality.

On a hosting note, I'm generally really busy with schoolwork and am on campus from at least 9AM-6PM everyday. I can't take couchsurfers around on weekdays, but am happy to host independent visitors who are capable of making their own way around during business hours. I'm happy to provide a few suggestions for activities, though, such as Ijams Nature Center and House Mountain!

LGBTQIA-friendly place.

Interests

Hiking, biology, zoology, traveling, food, beekeeping, and most of all, board games (did anyone say Settlers of Catan? No, seriously.) I can also probably talk for hours about Harry Potter.

• animals
• insects
• education
• dining
• boating
• board games
• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• biology
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Leon The Professional, Star Trek, Sin City, Pan's Labyrinth, City of Lost Children, A Clockwork Orange, or movies by Hayao Miyazaki, Wes Anderson, and Quentin Tarantino

Books: I have an enduring love for the Harry Potter and Ender's Game series, but besides those, also love Lolita, Snow Crash, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the A Song of Ice and Fire series, just to name a few.

Music: mostly indie, folk, alternative

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

French Polynesia- lived on the beautiful island of Mo'orea for 9 weeks where I was able to swim at the base of waterfalls and snorkel on Marlon Brando's atoll, Tetiaroa

Venezuela- lived on a cattle ranch in the llanos (plains) of Venezuela during the wet season during some field research with green-rumped parrotlets; saw an amazing array of birds on a daily basis and had the occasional encounter with caimans, boas, marmosas, and monkeys.

Dominican Republic- went on an arachnid collecting expedition which included camping on a desert island in the middle of a croc-infested salt lake and discovering the first eyeless cave spider in the Caribbean

Taiwan- explored the local cuisine, including stinky tofu, rice blood cakes, and pork brain soup, all of which was tastier (or at least more edible) than I initially thought. Had the incredible privilege of staying with an aboriginal family one weekend and trying their their medicinal wine composed of sambar blood and millet wine.

Caribbean (Sint Maarten, Saba, Statia, St. Kitts)- lived on a sail boat and sailed to 4 different islands in search of arachnids, especially things like brown recluse spiders, scorpions, and whip scorpions. Yippee!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm happy to provide guests with:
Rides to/from airport/bus station (b/c who wants to pay $25 for a taxi ride)
Washer/dryer for clean laundry! Seriously, just ask.
Board game night- I currently own Settlers of Catan, Dominion, Splendor, Smashup, Bang, The Resistance, King of Tokyo, Pandemic, Tokaido, Tsuro, Evolution: Climate, Evolution: The Beginning, Biblios, Catan: Cities and Knights, Castles of Burgandy

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have a wide variety of interests, international travel being the obvious one. I love promoting the idea of entomophagy, or the practice of eating insects, for another. In general, my interests intersect traveling, food, education, and biology.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Bahamas, Botswana, Canada, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Gibraltar, Iceland, Japan, Lesotho, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin (French part), South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Taiwan, United States

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