CURRENT MISSION

Learn by asking LOTS of questions and reading whatever kind of literature I can get my hands on.

ABOUT ME

Most people, after first meeting me, would say that I can be somewhat shy and awkward. Yes, that is a tad true, but after you get to know me, you'll find that I am a very open, fun, spontaneous person that will make you laugh uncontrollably. I am also extremely open (as in, I don't like to hide things from people, so be prepared to have a frank lady on your hands) outspoken, and inquisitive; my motto truly is "Keep it real." I also tend to ask a lot of questions; I'm a firm believer that there is no stupid question. I love trying new foods (which, by the way, I LOVE! I would classify myself as a "foodie," for sure), going to new places, and meeting people from all over the world. My ultimate goal in life is to travel to as many places as possible, and of course, sample as many cuisines as I can in all of the wonderful places I go.

PHILOSOPHY

Keep it real.
Pay it forward.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes; put yourself out there!
Be skeptical and ask lots of questions.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

With participating in CS, I will spread the word to my fellow travelers about the program, and I hope that one day I can actually offer my home to a traveler wherever I will live.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couchsurfed in:
Lisbon, Portugal
Paris, France
London, England
Dublin, Ireland

Both experiences have been truly amazing. My travel buddy and I were quite spoiled in Lisbon: went to a CouchSurfing-sponsored dinner our first night, had two delicious, home-cooked Portuguese dinners, a traditional Fado performance with Lisbon locals, and dinner at our host's friend's house. Thanks again, Ilmer!
In Paris, my travel buddy and I were made to feel at home and able to have several long chats over steaming hot coffee in his cozy flat. And our host was more than happy to give us helpful tips about navigating the city.
Honestly, this site is absolutely fabulous. It's enabled me to make friends while traveling abroad and gain a local's perspective on my travel destination.

Interests

Traveling (obviously), WORKING OUT (This is actually a VERY big part of my life; working out helps me maintain a clear, level head. I prefer lifting weights, running, and spinning.) learning new things (cultures, food, languages, history), reading, cooking (I was actually planning on going to culinary school after high school but chose to go to a university, instead), and baking. I also thoroughly enjoy long chats with friends in street-side cafes and getting extremely lost. No, really. I do.

• literature
• performing arts
• festivals
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• baking
• running
• working out
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all sorts of movies (currently, Forrest Gump, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Brokeback Mountain are my favs), all sorts of music (EXCEPT COUNTRY!), and I will read anything that has a good plot or will hold my attention for longer than 15 minutes (Wally Lamb, Chuck Palahnuik, and Jane Green are really the only writers I consistently follow).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Polignano a Mare, Italia. My sister and I arrived in this quaint, sea-side town on January 1st, 2011, with the intent of finding a hostel that we had booked without really researching it beforehand. Neither of us are capable of speaking Italian. Nor reading it. Anything Italian, yah...we don't know. We hopped off the train and didn't know where to go. Some Italian man dressed up to the 9's in a suit was sitting there at the station seeming to wait for a relative or friend to arrive. Didn't know where to go, so I asked the men working within the station where such-and-such hostel was located within their village. They had no clue. The man dressed all swanky started jibbering in Italian to the men in the station, and next thing I knew, he was escorting my sister and me off to this place. He ended up giving us a tour of the city. Literally. There was also a festival going on, which I assume to have been for New Years. Keep in mind that this entire time, he was talking to my sister and me in Italian. Could we understand him? No, but I did my best to understand him by responding in Spanish when the words sounded similar. Needless to say, it was quite interesting and an occurrence that I will never forget. Oh, and he did end up taking us to our hostel (after a 30 minute tour of the village). Thanks to him, we got there safely, and afterwards, went to the same pizza parlor that he stopped at just before reaching our hostel. :)

Las Fallas, March 2011. A bunch of pyros live in Valencia, let me tell ya.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, United States