CURRENT MISSION

Be brave and be daring

ABOUT ME

Leading up to my college graduation, I got increasingly confused and decided to move to Washington, DC to experience East Coast life and fulfill my goal of living on both sides of the Pacific and Atlantic. I am currently working in U.S. education policy and am settled enough to enter into things that require longterm contracts. But traveling a mile away from home is just as fun as traveling 6,000 miles away. My goals for 2015 are to backpack around Europe (again), Southeast Asia, and South America.

My favorite thing to do is touch old things. (The record so far has been the walls of a palace built in 912 under Abd-ar-Rahman III.)

PHILOSOPHY

Why not?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I moved to DC last August. I never get tired of doing the monuments tour, and know where the best Ethiopian food and pie are.

At the moment I can't offer a couch, but hopefully can soon!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have heard nothing but good things about couchsurfing from my friends, and the idea sounds really fantastic.

Interests

I love history, and my main interests lie in changing borders and border politics. I'm a bit obsessed with my camera and sweets.

• education
• dining
• partying
• politics
• traveling
• cycling
• backpacking
• teaching
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy nearly everything, but my favorite bands are Arctic Monkeys, Keane, and Florence + the Machine; my favorite movie is Pride & Prejudice (2005 version, sorry I loved it since I was 14 and nothing can taint it), and my favorite book is The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. (But the book that changed my perspective on life was Ain't I a Woman? by bell hooks.)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm kind of coming out of my shell, so for me, the wackiest thing I've done was spend 26 hours awake, partying during Carnaval in Cádiz. Afterward, thanks to a kind resident, my friends and I spent the night (technically morning) with about a dozen other strangers on the ground floor of an apartment building, trying to get used to the cold marble floors and appreciating our predicament.

However, the best experiences have just been meeting new people: Samuel, the waiter in Almodóvar del Río who told my friends and I how to bike across Morocco; Simo, the amazing shopkeeper in Toledo who was probably once my neighbor in Berkeley; and the gorgeous ladies and gentleman from France, Turkey, and Romania who navigated the crazy streets of Cádiz with me at 4am in the morning.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a big fan and student of comparative history and politics, with specialization in Western Europe and Southeast Asia. I recently became really interested in West Africa and the Sahel area, especially regarding women's rights and access to healthcare.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United States, Viet Nam