I'm an environmentalist-minded explorer of the world. I love to travel, meet new people, go on adventures, cook and eat good food, take photos, and learn about new things.

I grew up outside of New York City, studied outside of Boston, lived in Italy a couple of times, and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin. I did a three year masters program in environmental management and public policy / global affairs in New Haven, Connecticut, and now live back in the NYC metro area.

I work now for a nonprofit in the regenerative agriculture financing space.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like being uncomfortable and breaking through the wall between "local" and "tourist".

Interests

• arts
• photography
• environment
• music
• hiking
• skiing
• rock climbing
• philosophy
• sustainability
• learning new things
• exploring new places

Music, Movies, and Books

Charli XCX (her first album is her best!), Lady Gaga, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, Frank Ocean, Donnie Darko, Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card, The Life of Pi by Yann Martell, Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut, the Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Abstract Wild by Jack Turner, If on a winter's night a traveler... by Italo Calvino

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

~Traveled around Europe by bicycle (and sometimes train or ferry)
~studied Food and Sustainability in Perugia, Italy
~Survived a thunderstorm on an Alpine ridge
~learned a little ghanaian drumming
~gotten lost on a ski touring trip
~built and slept in snow forts for multiple nights
~backpacked through the desert in Utah
~ran around naked at night in below zero temperature fahrenheit
~taught children how to ski
~edited a textbook on sustainable agriculture
~worked at a marine conservation institute on a Greek island for 3 months
~worked with a women's group of gardeners for 6 months in Benin, West Africa
~managed a vegetable garden at a primary school to supplement nutrition in their school lunches
~started a coaching business to help people with ADHD/autism better manage the difficulties of getting stuff done
~started grad school at Yale
~proposed the development of a traditional olive oil press in a village in Jordan
~worked at the UN in Rome for a summer
~discovered how to discover things
~climbed some V9 boulder problems

Teach, Learn, Share

Too much to list here!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversation, an open mind, my cooking/cleaning/fixing skills, languages, music, art, philosophy, and anything else that feels right depending on the situation.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Benin, France, Greece, Italy, United States