I'm an American masters student living in Germany. I've always wanted to live abroad. When I was a kid, I basically terrified my parents by telling them this regularly. I even packed my suitcase a few times and left to "go to Africa." Being all of six, I made it two blocks, likely not even in the direction of the airport. But for better or for worse, I'm someone who always feels like I'm searching for the next best thing, for adventure, for a life elsewhere.

The first time I (finally!) left the North American continent, I stayed in Germany with a host family. And so began my complicated relationship with the German language. One evening, my numerous attempts to say the word "Streichholzschächtelchen" (which means "little box of matches") left all of us in tears of laughter. Those moments when I connected with my German family and peers motivated me to commit myself both to become fluent and to make a life for myself somewhere new.

Since then, I graduated college, worked for two years in New York City (reference point: I had the same job as Rachel in the TV show "Suits,"), and I left that path because it didn't feel right. So here I am back in Germany on a Fulbright pursing a master's degree in political science. I find comfort in travel and I feel guided by many of the encounters I have with people I meet while traveling.

As a tourist, I enjoy old pretty things as well as food, drinking, and especially visiting art museums. But I also appreciate natural beauty. Although, in my experience any destination can be rewarding when I connect with new people, gain new perspectives, and get to practice using a language.

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

I was hesitant to try it at first, but I now realize that it's exactly what I've been looking for: a way not only to discover new places but also to deanonymize them. My first hosting experience was great, and he convinced me that Couchsurfing has much more potential for lasting impressions of a place than does staying in a hostel or hotel.

Centres d'intérêt

When I'm feeling wayworn, movies help me to recuperate. I'm not exactly a cinematic aficionado, but I'm working on it. I took a film analysis course in college focusing on the silent Weimar films of the 1920s, and it incited this love for picking apart the score, the cinematography, the lighting. Sometimes I want to go to film school, but that's pretty easy to say without doing all of the work it requires :), so I'll just watch them instead. I would love if you would send me recommendations for critically acclaimed movies from your country or culture!

Swing dancing is something I began to pick up five years ago. Of all of the dance forms I've tried, swing (Lindy Hop, Charleston, East Coast...) is my favorite. I love the swing rhythm and Lindy is especially creative, exaggerated, and (sometimes) goofy. It's become popular enough in the last few years that I can usually find events in most cities I visit. Even though I don't dance every week like I used to, I always come back to it because it's a great way to have an intimate connection with people and just have a blast.

• swing dancing
• cheese
• traveling
• hiking
• cinema
• jazz music
• good beer
• snowbording

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

Movies:
Lost in Translation; I am Love; Pulling Strings; Das Weisse Band; M (and Fritz Lang generally, though M is my favorite); Once; Pride and Prejudice; The Blues Brothers; Black Panther; Auf der anderen Seite; v for Vandeta; Desperately Seeking Susan; Pirates of the Caribbean
+ The (very) occasional good horror film

Books:
The Garden of Beasts; Devil in the White City; The Kite Runner; A Thousand Splendid Suns (if you’ve noticed a trend it’s because I love the whole historical fiction genre); The Handmaid’s Tale; American Gods; 1984; Water for Elephants; Biographies (favorites thus far: Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Weisen Cook and Hannah Arendt by Alois Prinz)

TV Shows
Mad Men; Broad City; Breaking Bad; The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; The End of the Fucking World; Gran Hotel; El Tiempo entre Costuras; Stranger Things; The Man in the High Castle

Music
Oy, this one is complicated. I like many types of jazz (dixieland, swing, bebop, electronic, vocal-lead....) I grew up listening to country and indie. I love blue grass. In the last ten years I've began listening to rap and hip hop. I've got a soft spot for Showtunes as well. If you want to know more about my music tastes, you'll need to ask me about it.

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

I spent the night of the 2008 American presidential election in Grant Park, Chicago with Obama (okay, it’s not like I spoke to him or anything, but still)...

Ce que j'aimerais partager avec mes hôtes

Prepare for disappointment: my excellent sense of humor and a smile(?) Really, though, Couchsurfing hosts give a lot. I appreciate that. At the very least, I will treat you to dinner and drinks (and yes, also my smile).

Pays dans lesquels j'ai vécu

Germany, United States