Currently traveling New Zealand in the hope of finding a higher level of self awareness and love.

I'm a 25 year old ginger. I grew up in a family where traveling meant going to see grandma and grandpa. I left the country for the first time at the age of 21 on a study abroad trip to Ireland. It was the best use of money I'm currently paying back to the United States I've ever had. But by then it was too late.

As an American, society guarantees you that graduating from university will be your ticket to the American dream. Woohoo! Uni! 4 years later, in debt up to my eyeballs, and I couldn't find a job in my field. I could barely find a job anywhere. Finally, from sheer luck, I found a job I would refer to as a way to 'pay the bills.' Dreaming of life outside of the 9-5 Americans are so quick to fall into, I logged hour after hour of mindless work. I was surrounded by people that hated their jobs. Spending most of their time complaining, looking forward to Friday and dreading Monday. I quickly fell into the trap as well.

One Saturday night outside of a bar I proposed that my two best friends and I move to New Zealand. They laughed but I assured them I was serious. What I wasn't expecting was for them to actually listen and consider (it was a shot in the wind). But several months later after some serious conversations, one of my best friends and I bought one way tickets to New Zealand, quit are jobs and crossed America and the Pacific Ocean, landing in Auckland and a rainy spring day. Since then we've toured the country and she made the choice to go home. The last 4 months I have explored New Zealand by myself and it's been a challenging and extremely rewarding experience. I'm already planning a trip to Europe next summer! And I've realized that my dream is in no way an American one.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Travel opens doors to worlds I've only dreamed about and I love the idea of couch surfing. There is vacation travel and then there is life travel. Vacation travel is nice, don't get me wrong, but when you travel to learn a culture and to understand a country the meaning of travel changes drastically. There are lots of things I want to see but I would trade that for quality time with people. I believe learning the similarities and differences between cultures makes a person more empathetic, understanding and open to the world. Even in my short time traveling I have seen my thought process change for certain things. I judge people less, not just from meeting others but also from who I become when I accept other people into my life because I choose to be vulnerable and open myself up. In summation, we are all human beings and on that basic level, I think we can all learn something from one another - and while scenery is beautiful the people are the ones that shape the landscape.

Interests

I'm a pretty curious mind and I'm usually up for trying things at least once and sometimes even re-trying them. I love being on the water: sailing, boating, tubing, cruising, swimming. (Not skiing: I've tried that 3 times but I'd like to try wake boarding) because I love snowboarding. I'd say traveling is one of my top interests (haha) Right now I'm putting together a master list of every country I want to visit and everywhere in each country that I'd love to see. I won't necessarily see everything (I've been in NZ for 7 months and I still have a huge laundry list of things I'd like to do). But I truly enjoy long-term traveling, meeting people, chatting over wine until late at night. I have met some of the most wonderful people in NZ and it just makes me excited to go to other places and meet other people.

• culture
• writing
• wine
• boating
• traveling
• socializing
• surfing
• sailing
• skiing
• snowboarding
• swimming
• study abroad
• long-term travel

Music, Movies, and Books

My taste in music touches a little bit of almost every genre but my favorites at the moment are: Mumford and Sons, Florence and the Machine, Ben Howard and Bastille. All time favorites: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and The Steve Miller Band (I've seen them twice)

I love movies. I spent a whole college degree studying them and I hope one day I can be lucky enough to actually make them. Film festivals are one of my favorite ways to see movies. But I can also be very picky when it comes to movies and a lot of 'blockbusters' only annoy me. I looooove talking about film and I will go on forever - so don't bring it up unless you dare.

Oh books. My first and true love. I'm in the middle of reading about 3 books, which I never do, but there are so many I want to read! I just caught up with the Game of Thrones series which has been frustrating this season since the TV show and books don't match up. I prefer to read books before seeing their movie version.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hm. That's a toughie. (Tuffie?)

One thing I'm really proud of is writing, directing, producing and essentially creating a 17 minute short film on a 3 person team, on top of a full semester of courses and extracurricular activities. Standing in front of our friends, family and peers after the premiere of our film was one of the most memorable, wonderful moments of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

Ha I wish. But if anyone knows how to play the ukulele ... PLEASE TEACH ME

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories. I love talking to people and exchanging experiences. I think those conversations are some of the most amazing things in the world. You could talk to someone for 10 minutes and they could change your life without even knowing it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States