CURRENT MISSION

hug a wallaby

ABOUT ME

Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Lived in Austin, TX and Washington state before moving to Aomori, where I taught 1st-6th graders at two elementary schools in a pleasant little town beside the sea. Currently living in the exciting metropolis of Guangzhou, China.

When I'm not plotting future travels, you can usually find me exploring in the great outdoors, kicking back with a good book, or relaxing in the nearest onsen...

PHILOSOPHY

一日一善！ (doing a good deed each day)

Each day is a gift. Give something back.

一期一会 (once in a lifetime encounter)

Each meeting is a potential wellspring of adventure and inspiration!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I don't have too much official Couchsurfing experience yet, but I do love meeting new people and getting to know them over a cup of coffee, a good meal, or a bottle of wine!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

just signed up, but have slept on couches and floors everywhere from Osaka to Chicago to Rabat.

Interests

reading
writing
language learning
teaching
hiking
running
skiing
tennis
weight training
snowshoeing
board games
card games
trivia
mahjong
PUPPIES (especially corgis)
kangaroos
alpacas
RED PANDAS
campfires
cycling
cartography/maps
churros
cheese
bread
vegetarian food
getting a good night's sleep

Music, Movies, and Books

My taste in music is fairly eclectic, but I'm currently digging classic jazz and singer-songwriters like Andrew Bird and Shugo Tokumaru.

Don't watch many movies, but enjoy perusing other people's favorite movie lists for good films I have yet to see.

Favorite authors include Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Fitzgerald, Greene, Kafka, Kundera, and Murakami (Haruki)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

seen the myriad stars of a night sky without light pollution

Teach, Learn, Share

If you come stay with me I can teach you some Tsugaru-ben (the local dialect in this area of Japan), take you to meet Wasao (a celebrity dog that lives in my town), and maybe whip up a tagine, some muffins, or a batch of vegetable curry. I'd also be happy to share any practical or trivial knowledge I have about Aomori, my home country, or other places I have traveled!

As far as learning goes, I'd be very grateful to anyone who could introduce me to some good vegetarian recipes!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Cook Islands, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Federated States of, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Martin (French part), Scotland, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, U.S., Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, Japan, United States