CURRENT MISSION

public health MPH

ABOUT ME

I am very tall. I speak French and have let this skill steer me around the world for the past year. Throughout this exploration, I have uncovered my next project, which is to work on health care access in the United States. I spend a lot of my time reading articles about health care, the "migrant crisis," language access rights, and literary translation. I have a lot of ideas that bing around in my head and I think going to school is going to help me knit them into a big, encompassing project.

I feel the most satisfied when I am traversing space. Traversing time is cool, and observing the way that time passes is an important experience. For example, a cup of coffee that starts out full and then throughout the course of the afternoon is drained as items on your to-do list get checked off. But traversing space, feeling the road unfurl underneath you as you are on the backseat of a motorcycle or on foot with a heavy bag or alone on a train or a road trip... for me it is better than drugs.

I planned a walking tour of Marseille based on essays by Walter Benjamin. Walking through the city through the eyes of someone who wandered there over 70 years ago.

PHILOSOPHY

"I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it." --Rita Mae Brown

Party is life.

Sharing, asking for things you need, all this is a really important experience. If you do not ask, you shall not receive. If you do not ask, you cannot see the capacity of people to give.

I like to think, like most people on this site, that I am more original than the classic tourist and I enjoy things that are more sophisticated than them. But sometimes you have to laugh at yourself and complete the rite of pilgrimage that is modern tourism.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Meeting new people!

This summer I traveled in the American SW as a tour guide for a Canadian outdoor adventure company. Now I'm in France for the school year (Aix-Marseilles region) to teach English as an Assistante de Langue with the TAPIF program.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Lately I've been frustrated with hostels and Airbnb... I want experiences to be genuine, laidback, about sharing versus paying for those experiences.

I have met people for coffee in Paris and Berlin, and it has been very lovely conversations. CS is just a really good way to meet locals. :)

I have couch surfed in Lithuania with three lovely young women. They were all very welcoming and ready to share Lithuanian culture. Beautiful experiences!

Interests

Thrift store shopping, museum hopping.

Promenades when you've got nothing else to do.

When the weather matches your emotions.

Watching the market set up after you have been out all night.

I love cocktails and craft beers... I am a bit of a lush.

• culture
• cooking
• beer
• cocktails
• coffee
• walking
• partying
• shopping
• thrifting
• reading
• knitting
• outdoor activities
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

I love good movies, I love to make fun of bad movies. Love pretty much everything.

Music: Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Talib Kweli, Best Coast, The Beach Boys, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Cat Power, Patsy Cline, vintage americana music.

Books: Annie Ernaux, Zadie Smith, the Ten Thousand Things, Be Here Now Remember by Ram Dass. looking for good books to learn more about linguistics and the history of French or English and I don't understand anything about economics so I would love to learn more about that.....

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

looking at penguins in chile while listening to bob marley

Teach, Learn, Share

I think I can teach and share how to chill out, take it easy, how to be patient, and most importantly how to go with the flow of things. Plans change, and you just have to go along with it sometimes.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am tidy, I love to cook on a budget, and I make ridiculous jokes due to my less-than-sophisticated English

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Togo, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States