I'm a high school English teacher who has been lucky enough to get a chance to see much of the world and meet many of its people, in large part thanks to the Couchsurfing community.

I'm currently back in my small hometown, spending my days teaching language and literature to ninth graders. When not at work, I enjoy hanging out with my pups, Clark & Gable, riding my bike, working in the garden, and taking in a good book. I'm insatiably curious and always exploring- whether that be physical locations or areas of interest.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host when able. Surf when I can. And maintain some of my life's most beautiful friendships, which were the product of Couchsurfing adventures.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Too great for this meager box to capture- Couchsurfing really shaped my life. I'm actually engaged to the most amazing man, who I met on Couchsurfing back in 2008!

Interests

Learning anything. Def Jam poetry. Openculture.com. TED.com.Getting my feet wet. Good conversation. Travel. Good books. Writing. Oral Tradition. History. Social theory. Outside.

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Everytime I think a movie deserves to be here, I forget what the movie was. So apparently not many have stuck. But I know all of the songs in the "School of Rock" and my interests tend more on the Trainspotting and the Fog of War side.

Books:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being.
On the Road.
Winseburg, Ohio.
Rant.
The Children's Hospital
A Short History of Nearly Everything.
The Fact of a Doorframe.
View with a Grain of Sand.
A People's History of the United States.
Lots of nonfiction. I read a lot.

Music:
Kings of Leon, Ben Harper, Bob Dylan, Citizen Cope, Stevie Wonder, Regina Spektor, Adventura, Damien Rice, Johnny Cash, Etta James, Lizz Wright, Jeff Buckley, The Beatles, John Coltrane, Rilo Kiley, Neil Young, Sufjan Stevens... etc., etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spending time living with a Cuna tribe in the San Blas Islands-- canoeing between islands with only a clear moon lighting the way.

Cling to every word my best friend said as she went through the process of dying.

Just about every moment of the ten weeks I spent backpacking through Ecuador by myself.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: English. Writing (creative, technical). Bits of social theory (classical and modern).

Learn: Turkish. Spanish. Any recipes. I want to learn any and everything!

Willing to share...stories, time, energy, hugs, love, and whatever food is in my pantry (sorry-- haven't been shopping in a while).

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Ecuador, Greece, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Qatar, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Turkey, United States

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