PLEASE READ WHOLE BIO!
Due to some experiences, I am predominantly interested in hosting surfers who also host and/or find a way to give back to the platform. Couchsurfing is a community, and I want to host people who are an active part of that community. DO NOT request me if you have ZERO hosting/surfing references. You MUST have more than one hosting/surfing reference for me to accept your request.

LGBTQ/Queer friendly household. Homophobia/racism/transphobia is not tolerated. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

Please DO plan on spending one evening of your stay cooking a meal with me - ie be home around 5:30 or 6pm to start cooking. This is a big reason why I host and my favorite part of CS - I like learning new recipies and eating food from different cultures. If you want to plan your favorite recipe or something traditional to your culture and buy some ingredients (grocery store is 1 block from my house), that's awesome. We have most common household ingredients. Or we could cook whatever I'm making together.

Otherwise, I'm a pretty chill host, and I'm happy to let you go explore the greater LA region by yourself and give you my recommendations. We are pretty close to Culver City, Santa Monica, and Venice, but any other tourist locations are probably going to be an hour+ by public transit. Just know YOU MUST LEAVE MY HOUSE DURING THE DAY when myself and my roommates are gone.

ABOUT ME:

Hi! I'm Ren, 24 years old, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I attended Washington University in St Louis to study film and media studies. I love photography, reading, and art museums. I'm very outdoorsy and I like hiking and nature. I also love to cook and explore the city!

Summer 2022, I solo traveled for three months across Europe, visiting 13 countries. I made so many new friends and was overwhelmed by the kindness of complete strangers, and I am seeking to return the favor.

I work and am currently school, so I am pretty busy. Ideal guests would go exploring on their own during the day and meet me to cook dinner or do something fun in the evenings.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR SURFERS:

- DO tell me what we have in common and why you want to stay with me!

- DO NOT request if you are just looking for a free place to stay - this website is for cultural exchange.

- DO NOT request longer than 3 nights!

- DO NOT request months in advance. Ideal requests come about 1-2 weeks in advance of stay.

- DO NOT request last minute or the day before! I probably won't see it in time.

- DO like dogs and cats! We have a medium sized dog who barks pretty loudly when people enter and leave. Her name is Teddy and she is absolutely the sweetest and will love you if you play with her or play fetch. We also have a kitten named Spoons

- I cannot promise that my house will be incredibly neat. It's a beautiful house but we are messy people 😅. We have a large backyard which we can hang out in.

-NO CIGARETTE SMOKING/VAPING INSIDE THE HOUSE OR ON THE PROPERTY.

- I will probably not have time to go explore with you, but I can give you my recommendations for the area.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I travel, I try to stay with friends, family, and strangers to experience life from a local perspective and avoid being a 'typical' tourist. I like to say yes to adventures and trying new things. Although the connections we make are often fleeting, there is something special about being a part of each other's stories for a short while and making an impact on each other's lives.

I host in order to give back to the community by hosting like-minded strangers when they come to LA. It all comes around in the end, and I hope to provide a space for travelers to explore LA and bring the world to me.

Interests

• dogs
• writing
• books
• poetry
• fashion
• modern art
• photography
• dancing
• education
• cooking
• nightlife
• board games
• reading
• tv
• socializing
• music
• live music
• jazz
• spoken word
• hiking
• camping
• rock climbing
• swimming
• art history
• beaches
• mountains
• art
• filmmaking
• films
• food
• cinema
• nature
• beach
• learning languages
• adventures
• theatre
• craft beer
• ocean
• outdoors
• queer
• museums
• pop
• roller skating
• indie
• skating
• black and white photography
• pop culture
• shows
• lgbtq
• cooking together
• darkroom

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Largely fiction (Normal People by Sally Rooney, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami), sci-fi (Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card), fantasy (Kushiel's Dart by Jaqueline Carey, Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss), romance (Born in Fire by Nora Roberts), and paranormal romance (Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton), with a splash of memoirs (Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls) & poetry (2 Fish by Jhene Aiko)

TV: I watch a variety: sitcoms (Pen15, Parks and Rec), dramas (Heartbreak High, Russian Doll, Sherlock, Game of Thrones), kdramas (It's OK Not to be OK, My Love from Another Star), anime (Hunter x Hunter, Black Butler, Ouran High School Host Club), american animated shows (Big Mouth, Avatar the Last Airbender), and reality TV (Survivor, Blown Away, Love Island).

Music: Indie, pop, jazz, alt, r&b, a lil classic rock. I love being introduced to new genres

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My photography has been in several gallery shows around Los Angeles.

I've written and directed several short films, including narrative, avant-garde, and documentary styles

Teach, Learn, Share

I absolutely love to cook and consider myself to be an excellent cook, especially on the vegetarian side of things. (I'm not vegetarian, but I usually cook vegetarian). If you don't know how to cook, I'd be happy to teach you a few things, or if you do, I'd love to learn more about cooking in your culture.

I'm also a really good photography teacher, so if you have a camera you've been playing with and need some tips, I got you,

I'm interested in learning about whatever you are interested in / good at. I love learning, intellectual conversations, and trying new things.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States