CURRENT MISSION

Learn something new every day.

ABOUT ME

I love cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper and calla lillies. I like the smell of the air that comes out of drier vents and I love to look at clouds.

In my opinion brownies > pie > cookies > cake. That's not to say that I would turn down a piece of good cake. I like to cook and bake and, apparently, I'm kind of good at it.

I have lived abroad for the last three years. I started in Taiwan and then the Czech Republic. Now I'm moving to Iraqi Kurdistan.

I'm addicted to traveling. I essentially go somewhere, glance over a map and then proceed to eat as much local food and take as many pictures as possible.

PHILOSOPHY

"I do not agree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it." --Voltaire

The U.S. First Amendment is hands down my favorite freedom. I love to listen to other people talk and I tend to engage in debate (but I try to reserve this for times I'm actually educated about the subject at hand).

I believe everyone has the right to form opinions and let them be heard. I find that I learn the most about the world and about the way people think and interact when everyone feels comfortable to speak freely.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm happy to meet up and play tour guide. In fact, I love playing tour guide, it keeps me on my toes. I'm just now moving to Kurdistan so I might not be the best guide ever. So I suppose if you'll be in Kurdistan this fall then we could meet up and explore together!

Interests

Writing and Scuba Diving

• culture
• writing
• make up
• dining
• cooking
• traveling
• scuba diving
• cartography
• history
• languages
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

A random sampling of the things played most often according to iTunes:

Bon Iver, Neko Case, Metric, The Bird & The Bee, The Dodos, Matt Nathanson, Santogold, Fight Like Apes, Animal Kingdom, the soundtrack to the movie Amelie, Anni Rossi, Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis, Black Lips, Interpol, The Black Keys

I've only recently taking up reading for leisure again so my selection lately has been a bit random: Lolita, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Nine Stories, Flappers and Philosophers. I plan to read a lot more J.D. Salinger and all the Orwell I never got the chance to read when I was younger. Currently reading: lots of Czech literature

I'm no movie critic and most things appeal to me but I have a few favorites: Motorcycle Diaries, Bridget Jones's Diary, Amelie, The Holiday, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins. These are movies I watch over and over again when I feel homesick, though I really enjoy black comedies and action films.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Kong Lor Cave in Laos is huge! It's absolutely amazing.

Scuba diving in Thailand and having easily 25meters of visibility!

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: I'm excellent with maps and directions and history.
Learn: I love learning new languages and feel it's absolutely essential to at least have the niceties down in every country I visit.
Share: Culture, food, photos and stories. These make up the human experience.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cambodia, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic, Iraq, Taiwan