- Farm-to-table omnivore! I love being a locavore and engaging directly with those farmers, producers, and animal husbandrists supplying the life that ends up on our tables; to me, there is almost no greater interaction than sharing conversation with those you love over food which truly nourishes and lives up to the ideals of a good conscience.

- Long distance cycling, hiking, rocking climbing, and anything in nature.

- Love backpacking and camping, especially national parks and the Pacific Northwest of America.

Always considering the words of Rainer Marie Wilke:

"I would like to beg you, dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love hearing peoples' stories - there is no better way to pass time than over tea and interesting conversation.

I am looking to meet people and see what the world has to offer by learning from everyone. I often find people from Couch Surfing refreshing for their various viewpoints and everything they have to share from their experiences of traveling. Even more so, I love any topics that one can teach - especially with regards to food, farming, and sustainable land management.

I've been in foreign places and know the feeling of being overwhelmed and needing a place to stay where I can feel free but also safe, and hope to be able to help other people do the same.

When I'm traveling, I'd like to do the reverse: see the towns and get the perspective from a local - not just do the big touristy attractions cities are known for, but find the local beauty gems that one would only find after having lived in a place for months! Traveling is a way of being in the world to expand my worldview and push the limits of what I think I know.

Interests

Films, books (cultural foods, anthropology), philosophy, planting and gardening, animals, languages, cycling, running, rock climbing, and anything in nature.

• animals
• arts
• books
• photography
• beauty
• environment
• dining
• wine
• running
• drinking
• pub crawls
• gardening
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• martial arts
• rock climbing
• anthropology
• ecology
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

A wide range of tastes in music and cinematic adventures - literally all over the place.

Music: Kyson, Mitch Murder, The War on Drugs, The Middle East, Shearwater, Jack's Mannequin, Third Eye Blind, Temper Trap, Agnes Obel

Movies: An extensive interest, from foreign and independent cinema to classic kung fu movie nights. I love some old B-rated films or cult classics!

Books: I actually don't read as much as I'd like, but recently "Tea: History, Terroir, Varieties", "Cooked" by Pollan, and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. In the fiction department, currently on the brain shelf is Murakami's "Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World," and along those lines anything else by Vonnegut. Life changing books border the fiction and non, including "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn and is often revisited.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Studied abroad in Ireland for a few months in college and dealt with the rain and pubs that come with it
- Saw the magnificent temples of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Researched howler monkeys on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua
- Snorkeled with the beautiful sea life of Hanauma Bay, Hawaii

Teach, Learn, Share

Always willing to help people learn the beginner ropes of photography. My passion is local food, nutrition, and cultural food history, as well as teaching about tea and enjoying a cup while sharing stories people.

I would love to learn more about gardening and sustainable ecology management, as well as food and drink creations - wine, fermentations, and more!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'd love to get to know you and see your city! Nature is always a plus for me and I am always down to do something outside. I'm also up for great food and cinema, but overall look for people with whom it's easy to relax and smile.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Nicaragua, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, Japan, United States