CURRENT MISSION

To experience new cultures, dive into history, explore foreign wilderness, and see as much as I can see while traveling through Japan, Australia, and New Zealand from September to December!

ABOUT ME

My goal is to one day become David Attenborough. Until then - I love to hike, backpack/tramp, camp, and study wildlife. I'm very good at adapting to a new situation. Although I'm generally a goofball, I can be very laid-back and easy going.

I graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in wildlife ecology. I have been working as a field technician for an ornithological (bird) lab for the past 4 years. So, I run around wetlands looking for birds in the summers and winters.

PHILOSOPHY

Be comfortable with yourself - whatever that means to you! Enjoy the moment and find the good within the bad.
I'm content with myself, I understand that people come and go in life and I shall remain. Every friendship is a treasure..even if it ends on a bad note (because each person impacts my life in one way or another...good memories are lovely and bad memories help us grow).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have met wonderful, generous, adventurous, fun strangers in Europe through this site who I now consider friends. Staying with folks through CS provides a more interesting way of seeing a place and a better opportunity to understand the local culture. Still fairly new to CS, I had only recently learned about this site and have only used it during my Europe trip so far. I'm a huge fan of it so far! I have also had my fair share of being a guest in the homes of friends, friends of friends, and field research stations. I'm a very clean and organized person. I enjoy washing dishes - it's a peaceful task for me. I like to cook for my hosts. I greatly appreciate the hospitality that others have to offer and I always make that clear. I get along with just about everyone, and somehow I'm great at bonding quickly with strangers! I'm happy to help out around the home that I'm a guest in.

Interests

Wildlife - birds, mammals, reptiles, you name it!

The great outdoors - hiking, camping, backpacking/tramping, exploring, bicycling..

Culture - I'd like to experience new cultures and get a sense of the many lifestyles that exist around the world. I like a challenge and I'm excited to be out of my element.

History/mythology/religion - I'll eat up any new information I can get ahold of! I love to learn.

Art - I enjoy drawing, painting, and poetry. I like to admire art and share art with friends.

I really want to travel the world - it's great exercise for the mind.

• animals
• wildlife
• birds
• reptiles
• arts
• culture
• poetry
• coloring
• cooking
• baking
• exercise
• running
• technology
• traveling
• eating out
• socializing
• painting
• drawing
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• camping
• ecology
• history
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies/TV: Eagle vs Shark, Her, Little Miss Sunshine, The Fall, Amelie, Garden State, Star Wars, anything by Hayao Miyazaki, Wes Anderson, Shin Chan, The New Girl, Once Upon a Time, Big Bang Theory, and old school pokemon.

Music: Tom Rosenthal, Generationals, The Orwells, Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Cold War Kids, The Growlers, The Unicorns, Passion Pit, The Pixies, The Devil Makes Three, Matt & Kim, Bowerbirds, The XX, Beirut, and Kimya Dawson.

Books: The Name of the Wind, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, The Red Tent, Mutant Message Down Under, Brave New World, Strength in What Remains, The Things They Carried, A Million Little Pieces, The Hobbit, and my field guides to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, trees, and bugs :]

Teach, Learn, Share

I studied wildlife ecology in school, so I can share my knowledge about animal behavior, cognition, and ecology.
I'm actually a licensed cosmetologist in CA, so I can cut and color hair!
I grew up in California, so I have plenty of advice for traveling in CA and around the USA.
I know how to do a lot of silly things - like building forts, making a basic bow and arrows from scratch, baking the best banana bread, and more.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States