CURRENT MISSION

choose to live and not simply exist

ABOUT ME

I'm open-minded, laid back, spontaneous, and fun-loving. I like everything from quiet afternoons reading books in the park to long nights out dancing, listening to live music and drinks with friends. I love books, learning new languages, nature, did I mention dancing?, ethnic foods, and listening to music of all sorts (alternative, indie, Latin, soul, reggae/ska, UK pop).

I make journals and sketchbooks by hand for friends, volunteer with the local hospital's ER department, strength-train and run, and like to go kayaking and hiking. I don't mind getting dirty or a little lost on trips- it's part of the fun. This is why I don't usually like tours...

PHILOSOPHY

Return kindness shown to you with interest.

Interests

Anthropology, word/board games, European art history and architecture, languages, linguistics, volunteering, South Pacific dance, Latin dance, rugby (watching), tennis (playing), books, living outside the US, being crafty (making mosaics, journals, printmaking), open-air markets, photography, collecting small bottles of sand from unique beaches, walking under shady trees, cooking and baking for friends, wildlife, camping, laying out on the beach for a lazy day.

• wildlife
• birds
• arts
• books
• architecture
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• baking
• running
• walking
• drinking
• board games
• reading
• music
• live music
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• tennis
• rugby
• anthropology
• art history
• history
• languages
• volunteering
• tours
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: City of God, The Cloud Atlas, Frida, The Red Violin, Amelie, Brazil, The Commitments, 21 Grams, Little Miss Sunshine.

Books and writers include Hemingway, Coelho, Bill Bryson, Gregory McGuire, Philip Pullman, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, The Kite Runner, Siddhartha, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Angela Carter, The Sprit Catches You and You Fall Down, and Oliver Sacks.

Music: A little bit of everything.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Backpacking through Europe solo, but being welcomed to every city by another couchsurfer. Thank you.

Teaching English on an island in South Korea for 18 months.

Going to school in New Zealand for 18 months, and loving it as my own home.

Catching an octopus that was glowing green in a Florida harbor at twilight.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can show you how to make tamales and pollo mole, bake the most perfect cinnamon buns, weave a dreamcatcher, the names of about half the birds and mammals in a zoo, and swear in Korean.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cook Islands, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tonga, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, South Korea, United States