CURRENT MISSION

Chillin' out after a busy time.

ABOUT ME

I just graduated w. my masters in public policy, have a great job where every once in a while I get to travel to new countries and meet amazing people as we bring together entrepreneurs and help connect them with resources. Most recently I've been to Senegal and Algeria for entrepreneur events.

I'm currently trying to piece together places to stay during a bike trip I hope to take around Evora, Portugal.

Life story:
I'm originally from Cocoa Beach, FL and have lived in DC for 8.5 years while going to undergrad, and then working at Georgetown and studying there for my masters degree. I decided to stay in the DC a bit longer so I can continue hanging out with my good friends here, as well as work at a great non-profit that gives me the opportunity to empower great partners internationally.

PHILOSOPHY

Take care of yourself, because no one else will. And to whom much is given, much is expected. I'm trying to figure out how best to fulfill those expectations, because I feel I have been given a lot in this life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I tell people about CS all the time. I'm surfing. I'm currently unable to host as I have a semi-permanent family member who is surfing.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have had 3 or 4 great guests stay at my house. Really fun, and I learned a lot from them.

I also stayed at a CS place in Honduras and Istanbul There is no other way to experience a place.

Interests

Yoga, biking, gardening, reading, traveling, meeting new people, talking a lot, going to outdoor markets and festivals, dancing, opera. If an ocean is around, then surfing. I'm interested in experiencing the places I am in, going where normal people go, etc.

• beauty
• festivals
• dancing
• yoga
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• opera
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• fishing
• hunting
• surfing
• entrepreneurship
• public policy
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Gone with the Wind. Books: Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Also, I love the Narnia collections... maybe it's just a remembrance of my childhood that I love, but those were good books. Right now I am reading the Art of Travel by de Botton, and recommend it to my fellow CSrs.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Being amazed or awestruck usually requires seeing something that makes you feel very small, or something unexpected. An amazing thing I've seen -- it could be this really huge red colored moon that arose unexpectedly across the Potomac and over the Washington Monument as I was biking home.

Another option could be seeing a sea turtle lay its eggs at sunset, instead of night. And watching as the small crowd gathered; it was us, an international group of volunteers to protect sea turtle eggs and them, a group of mothers and children of fishermen who regularly poached the eggs. We came together and watched the turtle lay its eggs, commented on the beauty of the turtle, and besides one child saying something about the eggs being tasty, had a very civil and even warm (if not slightly charged with tension) exchange. That stood out, because I saw the fisher people as humans at that time, and not just scary men with machetes who cut of turtle's heads. Even so, hunting turtle eggs is wrong and will lead to extinction. But what a world of shades of grey that we live in.

Teach, Learn, Share

Can teach yoga moves, bracelet making, how to make yummy smoothies.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Panama, Spain, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, Nicaragua, United States

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