CURRENT MISSION

Something with bears, maybe.

ABOUT ME

I'm a 26 year old traveler, born in Portugal and raised in the U.S. who loves food, Batman and adventure. I love to read, try new things (especially new foods, yum!) and to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee or froyo with friends, new and old! I graduated from Rutgers with a B.A. in Japanese, backpacked across Europe with my best friend, and served 10 months in a National Service program called AmeriCorps NCCC. I love learning and serving others, and I want to continue life long service by becoming a teacher. I'm currently in the process of moving to Seattle, WA, so I'll be going on a road trip with one of my teammates. I'm so excited to get to know even more parts of the states, and to serve another year in AmeriCorps, which was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

*update 8/2014: I finished my second year of AmeriCorps, and have been living in Washington for a year now. I am working in a High School this year as a School Outreach Coordinator and am loving life so far!*

PHILOSOPHY

How many people are there in the world? Exactly. The possibilities of great friendships are endless. You choose your own attitude, and accomplish whatever you believe you can. It doesn't matter what you do in life, but who you choose to share each experience with! No risk, no fun! If there's an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to serve others, then go for it!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I participate by getting to know each place I've visited from a local's point of view and volunteer where I can, not too mention when I finally get settled into my new home, I can share all the amazing things I love about my city with other travelers!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couchsurfing for the first time in Lucerne was awesome, and my best friend and I had such cool hosts. From dinner, ridiculous convos, to a lovely instrumental performance by their friend, we had an experience we will always remember!

Hosting for the first time was also great, I was just so lucky to meet fellow couchsurfers who can have fun. Again, my best friend and I even watched them perform in Tough Mudder (what a feat whoaa!)

Interests

food, photography, music, humor (sarcasm), comic books, tigers, wolves, literature, service & volunteering, art, nature, history, education, tumblr, exercise, cooking, baking, picnics, adventure, writing, tattoos, traveling

• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• performing arts
• photography
• tattoos
• education
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• coffee
• baking
• exercise
• traveling
• music
• teaching
• history
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I love to listen to different kinds music, no matter the language. The next best thing for me besides going on an adventure, is reading about one, since I'm a bookworm.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Something amazing that I have done was to serve in AmeriCorps, along with 10 other members on our team. We responded to Hurricane Sandy, and I spent 10 months of my life with these people. They became my family, and I met so many amazing survivors, who showed me just how resilient the human spirit can be. Helping rebuild their homes, and hearing from them that they moved back home was such a rewarding experience. Oh and while we responded to Hurricane Sandy, my team and the rest of the corps lived on the training ship, Empire State VI, at Maritime College... (Crazy times!)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share my experiences in AmeriCorps, and can do monkey impersonation pretty well. It's kind of ridiculous. I'm always up for practicing a language together, Portuguese, English, Japanese or German.. or something new, I'm always willing to learn. I can also share an awesome garlic chocolate chip cookie recipe, which sounds awful but is surprisingly drool inducing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States