CURRENT MISSION

Recently completed 12+ years of education and now ostensibly ready for the 'real world.' But not quite ready for a job yet; I want to enjoy life and the people who surround me.

ABOUT ME

I'm a recent college graduate who loves to read, write, and picnic with friends. I'm in no hurry to find a job or stable life path despite the pressing questions from family and want to travel while I can. I've spent considerable time in France studying and have traveled around Western Europe. I love meeting new people and talking; I love to laugh.

PHILOSOPHY

Don't worry too much, indulge in scents, notice beautiful lighting, love the people around you, accept rather than forgive, be patient and understanding, do something, but also know when to take a nap.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm new to couchsurfing but have several friends who've had great experiences. When I go to a new place, I don't want to just exhaust "sites to see" but instead want to feel like I am slipping into a long shared story. I'm up for anything and can cook for you too!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None yet but I hope to make the most of it this summer, and eventually host in the future, wherever I find myself!

Interests

I love food, cooking, art and literature, classical music, jazz, Japanese aesthetics, organic produce, Proust, and coffee. I enjoy Delft tiles, journals, bookbinding, Japanese prints, calligraphy, lavender, cheese, flower arrangements.

• arts
• literature
• contemporary art
• education
• dining
• cooking
• cheese
• coffee
• desserts
• picnic
• flowers
• traveling
• painting
• music
• classical music
• jazz
• calligraphy
• teaching
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Films: La Jetée; Sans Soleil; Hiroshima, mon amour; L'Année dernière à Marienbad; À bout de souffle; Io sono l'amore; Melancholia; Weekend; Perfume: The Story of a Murderer; The Piano; Autumn Sonata; Nostalghia; Belleville Rendezvous; Dans Paris; Les Chansons d'amour; Les 400 coups; Le Ballon rouge; La Vie d'Adèle; Paris, je t'aime; Grand Budapest Hotel...

Books: The Myth of Sisyphus; Lolita; À la recherche du temps perdu; L'Amant; Van Gogh's letters; A Sport and a Pastime; Fragments d'un discours amoureux; Also Known As Chris Marker; John Berger's art criticism; Sens et Non-Sens

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once spent two months in the French countryside living in a 17th-century château and taught my host family conversational English. Their love and generosity, the towering history of the place, the cows grazing as they have done for centuries, it was all so surreal. Yet I thought to myself: I can live this way, this can be real. Their care and respect and humility for their home and their surroundings touched me deeply.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can talk about anything from Medieval manuscript illuminations and 19th-century French painting to histories of typography and queer film. I also like to make things: food, desserts, drawings, sketches, watercolors, etc. I can teach you Japanese, French or English (some German), and hopefully you can teach me a bit of your languages, too.

I want to learn more about global contemporary art (not just the kind that's in museums) because artists, I think, are some of the most important and inspiring people in this world. Especially those artists who make you realize/remember our connections to each other and to nature--things to which we've become alienated in our modern lifestyles.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, Japan, United States