Hey all!

I'm super excited to be a part of this community.

I'm a current neuroscience PhD student at the University of Illinois. I'm originally from just outside of Chicago and I'll always consider it my home. In my free time I like to make and view art, play music, and ride my bike. I really enjoy good conversations, especially about how the world works and how it could work better. If you're excited about something, chances are I'm excited to hear about it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I really like the concept of mutually beneficial, agreement based, resource sharing. Giving someone a place to stay doesn't cause me much trouble, but having a place to stay without the costs associated with getting a hotel would be a huge benefit. Plus, you get to meet cool new people and be a helpful force in the world!

I lived in a cooperative house for two years and it was an amazing experience. You learn a lot about how to balance your own needs with the needs of others. It taught me some great things about how to be self-sufficient and what values are important to me.

I'm pretty new here - I haven't stayed anywhere or had anyone stay with me yet, but I'm looking forward to starting!

Interests

Science - I'm studying neuroscience right now and it's what I want to do for my whole life. The scientific method means a lot to me, as a practice and a deliberate way to examining cause and effect in all aspects of living.

Art - the Art Institute of Chicago is one of my favorite places in the world. I love going to random art shows and supporting my artist friends. I make art on occasion. I also love literature, poetry, and music. All forms of creative expression!

Biking - I have a road bike and really enjoy learning bike repair skills.

Good conversation - I love learning and a great way to do so is to listen to folks, benefit from their experiences and thoughts and form some new ones of your own.

• arts
• literature
• poetry
• music
• cycling
• neuroscience
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Vampire Weekend is my favorite band, which I think some people consider cliche at this point, but what can I say, they're important to me. I generally like folk and indie electronic music, sometimes noise music, rap.

Some of my favorite movies include Beginners, A Single Man, Away We Go, Amelie, and Magnolia. I generally love movies as a medium, so the list is longer, but those are some!

I don't have as much time to read these days as I'd like. I was part of a celebrity memoir audiobook club for a while, which is exactly like it sounds. We've read Carrie Browstein's book, Aziz Ansari's, Alan Cummings'. We mostly did it because it felt like a unique thing to do. Let the Great World Spin (Colum McCann) is definitely one of my favorite books. I like DFW. I plan to intentionally focus on reading more books by women.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Israel

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States