CURRENT MISSION

If you would still like a list of recommendations for things to do, see, eat, and drink in Vancouver, don't hesitate to send a message!

"Wander often. Wonder always."

ABOUT ME

Kristin - According to the Myers-Briggs, I'm an ENFJ which basically sums me up. But if that's not enough, I'm a high school English and Tourism teacher. I'm completely obsessed with musicals (don't worry, I won't wake you with my own rendition of Don't Cry for Me Argentina), traveling (who isn't?), music and meeting new people. As for my personality, I'm outgoing and chatty, but sometimes I like to sit back and observe to gather my thoughts. I'm comfortable in a room filled with people partying the night away or spending time with a few good mates. Random fact: I can touch my nose with my tongue--disgusting AND true.

Sean - To summarize myself in just a few sentences I'll start by saying that I am an INFJ. That means that I am always interested in getting to know people and having great conversations. I like to go to parties, but I will probably need some recharge time the next day (that's the "I" in me). My favourite things include travelling whenever and wherever possible, watching movies, and exploring my city.

PHILOSOPHY

Sean - Live life the way you want to live it, and remember that there is no right or wrong way to live it! Don't let anyone tell you different. If true hippies still existed, I think that I would have liked to live as one...or maybe I have seen Hair one too many times haha.

Kristin - "Non, je ne regrette rien." I want to look back on my life in my old age and feel like I left no rock unturned, no road untaken. I don't believe in regrets, but lessons learned along the way. There's no such things as mistakes as long as you learn from them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We have participated in the CS project by surfing couches for three weeks straight!! After having such amazing experiences, we can't wait to return the favors to fellow surfers!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Neither of us have had the experience to host people yet at our homes, but we have had the amazing opportunity to surf with the following people:

Martin and Chris - Chicago, Illinois
Steve and Bee (Twice!) - Highland Park, Illinois
Daniel - Jersey City, New Jersey
Jeff and Lester - Boston, Massachusetts
Molly - Chicago, Illinois
April- Sag Harbor, NY
Vic - Singapore, Singapore
Shiva - Delhi, India
Raju Meena and his family - Jaipur, India

After couch surfing for three straight weeks, I have come to the following conclusions...
1)Couchsurfing is an amazing experience.
2)All of the different people we have stayed with have all given us different experiences.
3)And, most importantly, they have all been awesome and amazing hosts!!

Interests

Kristin - I have insatiable wanderlust. I also have a passion for anything to do with the arts. I try to get to the theatre as often as I can. I also make it a priority to try new restaurants all over Vancouver and anywhere else that I travel. Some of current food obsessions are pho, Penang curry, and roti canai. Other things I love: No Reservations.Departures.Golden Girls.I Love Lucy. Herman Melville. Margaret Atwood. Dickinson. Poe.

Sean - TRAVELING -- it's my favourite thing to do. I don't think I can stay put for more than a few months at a time...even if it is just a small weekend getaway to California or Vegas, just to keep me content until my next big trip. SNOWBOARDING -- this is definetely my new best friend. Kristin actually introduced me to snowboarding this year, and I haven't looked back since! Now only if I could combine travelling and snowboarding. OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES -- hiking, watersports, walking around/exploring. RANDOM CONCERTS -- I have recently been going to some random concerts, and it's turned out to be some pretty good experiences! WORKING -- I love my work as a youth worker. I try to find one new job every year (usually in September) to fit into my already crazy schedule, just to mix things up a little and add to my experiences.

Music, Movies, and Books

Kristin - I'm really into 19th Century American Lit and Speculative Fiction, which basically makes me a big nerd. My favourites would have to be Bartleby, the Scrivener, Moby Dick, and The Crucible. As for the Speculative Fiction, I like The Handmaid's Tale, Fahrenheit 451, The Dispossessed. I also like reading books about another nerdy obsession of mine--the Broadway musical. I love any musical by Stephen Sondheim. As for music, I'm not very picky. Music moves my soul and what I listen to depends on mood. Driving around on a sunny day--Juanes. Reading on a cold, rainy, Vancouver day--Edith Piaf. Singing in the shower--Patti LuPone. I've got music for every occasion, but I'm always really excited to learn about new artists and to go to concerts. I'd love to trade some tunes! As for movies, I like just about any genre, though horror movies haunt me for a while. There was a period of time during my childhood when I thought that the Leprechaun would attack me from under the car, and that someone I knew might be possessed by the devil a la The Exorcist. So, needless to say, other than horror movies, I'm game for anything!

Sean - BOOKS--I am not that into reading books, probably because I have read way too many in college!! But, I do like the Lord of the Rings Saga, or a book called Eyeball Wars (Cultural clash, business, etc) Also I love reading any kind of travel books!!. MUSIC--I would say my music interests are fairly diverse. I enjoy top 40, hip hop, R&B, especially 90's stuff, 80's stuff, Frank Sinatra, some punk (esp. Dropkick Murphys), etc. MOVIES--any Michael Cera movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Take him to the Greek, old Horror movies, Harry Potter series, LOTR series, any Will Farrel movie, Star Wars.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Swimming with black tip sharks, in the Perhentian Islands - Malaysia (Both)
2. Camping overnight at Maya Bay (site of "The Beach") in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand (Both)
3. Skydiving in Kelowna, BC (Sean)
4. Karaoke'd in Tokyo! (Sean)
5. Partied until 7am in Tokyo (Sean)
6. An escorted train ride, with guards holding AK-47's, from the Malaysia border to Surat Thani in Thailand. (Both)
7. Experienced the Vancouver 2010 Olympics (Both)
8. New Years Eve 2008 in Times Square, in 6 degree (-14C) weather (Sean)
9. Getting police tickets in Thailand! (no real crime was committed here, we didn't know riding mopeds without helmets was against the law--apparently, it is. (Both)
10. Wiped out on a motorbike in Koh Phangan - Thailand (Sean)
11. The Ravinia Music Festival in Highland Park, Illinois (Kristin and Sean)
12. Been some of the first people to hike to a waterfall on Koh Samui that had just been discovered 3 months earlier. (Both)
13. The Edgewater, NJ, Parking lot near Starbucks...go see it for yourself!! (Sean and Kristin)
14. Took 27 high school students to Auschwitz (Kristin)

Teach, Learn, Share

Sean - I guess the best thing that I could teach and share with you is my Canadian culture and quirks. We are definitely different from our southern neighbours in more than one way, not in a good/bad way, but just a different way. Or, I would love to share my travel experiences, or anything else that might be of interest to you. I'm also pretty good at recalling a lot of 90's cartoons/themes haha...don't ask me how I know so many still... Or, maybe even I could share my spontaneity and willingness to try anything, anywhere, anytime...could make for some great adventures.

Kristin - I can share a treasure trove of random information about musicals, soccer and... The Golden Girls. But seriously, I would love to share with people my Canadian culture. Canadians seem to be a bit of an enigma, but I'd love to shed some light on Canada and it's diverse people, eh. I'm hoping that through Couch Surfing to speak some Spanish beyond a few basic words and to brush up on my French. I'd also like to learn about the day to day lives of people in all the places I go and I think that this is the best way to go about doing it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We would love to take our hosts out to eat, or make an attempt at cooking you dinner. We want to contribute to the wonderful world of CouchSurfing by sharing our knowledge and stories over a delightful meal. We are in this to make memories and new friends and we look forward to getting to know you.

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Cuba, Curaçao, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada

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