CURRENT MISSION

Traveling is a invaluable experience that should be shared with others. I have done a fair bit of world traveling, but I am always hungry for more. I love people - there are billions of us out there and I want to connect with as many as I can.

ABOUT ME

How can I put myself into words? I'm hungry for knowledge, love meeting people, and trying new things. I am enamoured with life and relish the opportunity to connect with others and create new experiences. I am originally from the US but have now settled in New Zealand and officially call myself a Kiwi. I am easy going, outgoing, and love to listen to peoples stories and share a meal or time in nature.

PHILOSOPHY

I am still working on this, but I am deeply moved by the beauty of this earth. I have only one life and I want to learn as much as I can. I believe that we need to have open ears as well as open hearts and that meeting new people and listening to their story or their little tidbits of wisdom is invaluable. I believe family is important, giving back to community, respecting this planet and others, and standing up for what you believe in.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am new to the CS project but I can't wait to host some folks back home. I have surfed (unofficially) before and enjoyed my experiences. Also my roomate is a CS and so we have hosted people through him. I have never had a negative experience with CS and can't wait to become one myself. My couch is always available!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have stayed with friends as a unofficial CS, I have been at my friends places when they were hosting CS, I have had CS in my home (but I was not a member at the time). One of my favorite memories of CS was I had just gotten back from Costa Rica and I stayed at my friends place in Asheville. He was hosting two other CS at the time and we all got up real early and went on a hike and watched the sunrise over the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a beautiful shared experience and I can't wait to have even more!

Interests

I'm pretty much interested in everything--I love to learn, hear peoples stories, go on adventures, play outdoors, play indoors, cook, read, roller skate, listen to music. etc. I want to discover new and interesting things and share experiences with people.

• beauty
• education
• cooking
• coffee
• traveling
• socializing
• painting
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• snowboarding
• teaching
• languages
• psychology
• mountains
• roller derby

Music, Movies, and Books

oh my, well, RHCP, neutral milk hotel, devendra banhart, joanna newsom, regina spektor, ani difranco, system of a down, muse, the temper trap, the national, matt costa, old crow medicine show, the senate, jar-e, and sooo many more. Books: anything by Haruki Murakami, crime and punishment, any non-fiction, fiction, etc. I love it all (except cheesy romance and mystery novels, bleck!). Movies: all sorts of things, I love a good film--I love small independent work as well as big hollywood stuff. Indie is great.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Took a train across Russia and saw some amazing scenes and met amazing people-it was like being transported into another world. I have also lived on a couple of coffee farms in Costa Rica and met people who I now consider my family members. I worked in the wilderness in Alaska, risked my life a couple of times, but walked away with some of the most profound experiences of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn about different philosophies, things that make people tick, card tricks, new dishes, always new languages!!!! I speak conversational Spanish, some French and Russian, and of course English. I currently work in International Education, and am passionate about experiential learning, Psychology, and youth development. I am a passionate roller derby skater, and am always keen to go for a skate or talk/watch derby.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Food, wine, beer, stories, kindness, gratitude.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, England, Fiji, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand, United States

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