CURRENT MISSION

To enjoy my first year out in the "real world" now that I've just graduated.

ABOUT ME

I used to be really shy and sometimes still am, but most of the time (once I realize you are cool) I won't shut up. Although I have a lot of random things to say, I do also like listening. I was a sociology major so I'm very interested in people. I'm extremely liberal, but I'm pretty sure that is fairly common on a site like this. I spent my last semester of college abroad in Copenhagen where I travelled around Europe for the first time. I visited both "common" tourist destinations like Italy and Germany and to more "obscure" (but in my mind more enjoyable) destinations like Lithuania.

PHILOSOPHY

I think everything happens for a reason.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

While I was traveling around Europe I spent some time with some people I met on the website and also did a little couchsurfing (both through the website and unofficially with friends), but I wasn't able to host in the extremely small studio I was living in. Now that I'm back in Berkeley I still live in a studio...but a bigger one! So I'm just getting into hosting for the first time.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've also spent a good amount of time visiting exchange students I've met over the years and sleeping on their couches/floors/etc. I've also couchsurfed "officially" for the first time this past summer. Now I am finally getting into hosting which is exciting.

Interests

I'm interested in people and people related topics and activities: hanging out with people, sociology, psychology, gender studies, reading books about people, talking about people, talking to people, pondering people. I also like boardgames, movies, concerts, and other activities that actually generally go back under the category of "people" or "hanging out with people."

• culture
• books
• concerts
• dining
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• gender studies
• history
• psychology
• sociology

Music, Movies, and Books

Very favorite music: Jenny Lewis (and her band Rilo Kiley), TenderForever, & Tegan and Sara. (I like all music except possibly country, but in terms of what I actually have on my ipod, I generally like to listen to indie music...or so says my itunes genius mixes that give me only 4 categories all of while start with the word "indie." I also tend to like female singers but not exclusively. I am also biased towards queer singers.)

Very favorite movies: Edward Scissorhands, Harold and Maude, Rocky Horror Picture Show, & 10 Things I Hate About You, and Amelie.

Very favorite books: The Giver, Brave New World, 1984, The Catcher in the Rye, Picture of Dorian Gray, Influence, & Freakonomics.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Recently the three strangest things I've done are:

1. move into a co-op (cooperative house). I've spent the first half of my last school year living in a big messy house with 30 something other people (it fluctuates). We had one giant shared kitchen, shared food, shared bathroom, shared chores, shared everything. The only thing that was my own is my bedroom...no wait...I shared that too.

2. Straight from living in that big crazy house I moved into a small studio by myself in Copenhagen. Coming to Copenhagen was a lot of firsts for me: first flight alone, first time traveling alone, first time the Europe, first time living completely alone, first time living outside of California etc. But it's been really fun and I've enjoyed living in a new city, making new friends, and traveling around to some other countries (Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands, Lithuania, etc.) Lithuania was particularly interesting. It was much different than anything else I'd seen in terms of the buildings, the people, the culture. It also has a very interesting recent history (Soviet Union).

3. Moved back to Berkeley into a studio with my girlfriend, gotten a job (well...3 part time jobs), and started trying to live like a "grown up."

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a lot about people and gender. I cite random studies and social theorists in everyday life. I also know random skills from spending time with children including: how to entertain children, how to make friendship bracelets, and various games.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, United States