CURRENT MISSION

I am committed to experiencing as much as this wide world has to offer every opportunity I get. I value meeting new people, encountering and learning from new perspectives, and new cultures, and creating genuine human connections. I value being outside every chance I get. I try to challenge myself, and challenge my fears; to continue to grow. I want to be the best version of myself; to be kind and open-minded and compassionate...and happy. All that being said, I'm still an adult and thus I try to be pragmatic in my passionate pursuits. Calculated risks, rather than frivolous, uneducated risks, make all the difference.

ABOUT ME

I've just moved to New Zealand, with the goal of making this my forever home. I came here four years ago (the first time I'd ever used Couchsurfing) and I've never before felt so deeply called to be in a place before. It was like I was a puzzle piece that had finally found where I fit. I knew I had to come back.

I'm here on a one year work visa, which I went to great lengths to obtain, being over the "working holiday" age. I'll be working temporarily at Carrick Winery in Central Otago for the wine harvest (early April-late May) and am looking for more permanent work after that. Until then, I am using this time to have an adventure and explore and experience as much of the rest of New Zealand as possible.

I'm slowly making my way South to Otago after roaming the Northland and all its incredible, completely undersung beauties. As I move South, I'd love to connect to locals and learn about each place I visit from them.

I am half Austrian, half American, born and raised in the DC area. I've traveled a fair bit in my day, and even lived in South Korea for a year to attend a boarding school/foreign studies program in the 6th grade. Volunteering is very important to me as well, and in fact, many of my previous experiences traveling were connected to volunteer projects in which I took part. I spent two years volunteering after high school and before entering college, which afforded me the opportunity to see at least 40 of the 50 states. I also lived in Berkley, CA for six months during that time and have been convinced since then that I belong on the West Coast.

I am a practicing Nichiren Buddhist (we chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo) and volunteering as a part of that community and taking part in local Buddhist activities is also very important to me.

I love all things outdoors. Despite being from the "big city," I feel most at home being near mountains and forests. That probably has something to do with spending most of my childhood summers visiting my cousins in North Carolina's Smokey Mountains.

PHILOSOPHY

Face every obstacle head on. Challenges are incredible opportunities to grow.
Be kind.
You never know what someone else may be going through, so never judge too quickly.
Smile.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I joined CS at the encouragement of a friend who had some truly amazing experiences. Since joining, I have had my own truly amazing experiences, both being hosted and hosting when I still had a home in the US. The idea that humans can still be humans with each other--that there still exist people in this world who want to learn from each other and share their stories and homes and conversation with each other is truly an incredible thing this day and age, and that makes Couchsurfing a very special community, which I feel grateful and proud to be a part of.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've both hosted people at home home in Arlington, before I moved to New Zealand, and I have also been hosted by people in Victoria, Australia and Tasmania. I would have had more experiences being hosted, no doubt, but in the last few years I've found myself unofficially couch surfing with friends of friends, or even friend three times removed.

However, now that I am here in NZ full time, and am traversing much broader distances over a longer time, with an incredibly limited, i.e. unemplyed budget, I felt I should re-stoke the CS fires and see what adventures (and couches) lay before me.

Interests

Buddhism, poetry and prose, good wine, good beer, good food, good conversations, learning about new cultures and communities, volunteering, all things outdoors (hiking, picnicking, gallivanting, exploring, running, kayaking, rafting, camping, tree climbing, stream following, flower identifying, all of it...), thrift stores and used book shops, discovering new music and going to shows, museum-going, arts and crafts, history (family, local and international), and...traveling, of course!

• arts
• books
• poetry
• beauty
• dining
• wine
• beer
• running
• clubbing
• crafts
• thrifting
• flowers
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• surfing
• buddhist
• rock climbing
• history
• volunteering
• road trips
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies. Anything Steve Martin, Anything Muppets, Charade, Arsenic and Old Lace, Casablanca, The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums, all the Pink Panther movies

Music. Too much to list, so here's a random sampling:
Devendra Banhart, The Rentals, Nick Drake, Neutral Milk Hotel, Paul Simon, Of Montreal, Shout Out Louds, Santigold, Iron and Wine, Junip, Horsefeathers, Metric, Icky Blossoms

Books. Again, way too many.
To Kill a Mockingbird, The Buddha in Your Mirror, Fun Home, Everything Tony Hillerman ever wrote, The Chronicles of Narnia, Franny and Zooey, The Old Man and the Sea, On the Road, The Dharma Bums, The Broken Wings, Alice in Wonderland, Cheesy Detective Novels

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Going to Machu Picchu and Cuzco was simply amazing. Also, rafting in Ecuador in the rainforest was incredible (sans mosquito bites). But living in Korea for a year when I was twelve (without my family) was probably the most formative experience of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

The Nichiren Buddhist phrase Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is one by which I strive to live my life each day. It has made such an incredible impact in my life that I can't help but include that in this section.

As far as information that I can share, wine is where I completely geek out. So here's a little factoid that I always like sharing when I teach a basics of wine class:

Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are made from the exact same grape. The names simply distinguish particular styles of wines. In the case of the former, the grapes are picked earlier with more acidity and less natural sugars, producing a lighter bodied, more acidic, crisper style wine with more straight forward citrus notes.

In the case of the latter, the grapes are left to ripen on the vine longer into the growing season so that when they are picked, there is less acidity and more natural sugar in the juice of the grapes, producing a fuller bodied, riper, more fruit forward wine, typically with more tropical nuances.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Peru, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Korea