Hey there! Thanks for visiting my profile. My interests include plant-based food, bicycles, mindfulness, sustainability and environmentalism, nutrition and wellness, refugee assistance, reading, world politics, a generally clean lifestyle, meeting people from around the world, new ideas, being out of my comfort zone, and exploring the human condition! I hope to learn/do something new every day. We live in a beautiful world, and I wake up happy to be alive every day. So I'm sure we'll get along!

From October 2018 to June 2021, I worked as an English teacher in Peru and Vietnam. I returned to the U.S. in the summer of '21 and made my first big train trip. I then made a significant life change by deciding to go back to university to finish my Bachelor's degree. I graduated in the summer of 2023 and spent the next year working at a refugee resettlement agency.

I resigned from that role one month ago and am currently based in Accra, Ghana, where I'm staying with a loved one. We have plans to create a lifestyle and travel business that will connect ideas of wellness, multiculturalism, sustainable travel, and authentic local experiences! It's still in its infancy but I am so excited by this prospect :)

YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2u3M3KbF1UBgp4bQhVxXRQ

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The best way to travel is to experience each new destination through a local lens. Eat, sleep, drink, see, and do as those who live there do! Big attractions are great, but I love the hidden and quirky gems just as much (thank you, Atlas Obscura)

I've worked with people from all around the world, and as I met more and more, a steady global network of friends has started to form. I'd like to continue this trend, and pay back the kindness I've received during my travels in turn!

Interests

Too many to count! Variety is indeed the spice of life. If you're not learning something new, you're not living. I want to spend my life in new places, learning, doing, and seeing new things. I hope to make a difference along the way :)

• documentaries
• cooking
• wine
• yoga
• meditation
• gardening
• chess
• reading
• blogging
• guitar
• world music
• camping
• anthropology
• geography
• history
• languages
• buddhism
• vegetarianism
• biking
• mindfulness
• sushi
• vinyl
• polyglot
• train travel
• vintage stuff
• taking pictures
• scooters
• drumming
• progressive politics
• public transportation
• overland travel
• atlas obscura
• coffee and tea
• aerial photography
• ikigai
• long walks/hiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music - whatever suits my mood at the moment! I'm less into specific artists and more into moods/vibes and genres, and tend to enjoy 'older' music more.

I love listening to music from around the world, something to break up American media hegemony. Check out the My Analog Journal YouTube channel—it's my all-time favorite!

Recent highlights: Donny Hathaway, Gregory Porter, Putumayo, dancehall, amapiano, Afrobeat

Movies - anything and everything - foreign, classic, obscure, timeless, epics

Recent watches: The Wire (I understand why they say it's one of the all-time greatest), Gladiator, Dune

Books - Recent favorites: Prophet Song, On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho, The Dhammapada, Meditations for Mortals, Autobiography of Malcolm X, How to Say Babylon, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Trekked to Machu Picchu with a friend on the Salkantay trail. It took us 4 days and was absolutely exhilarating.

Traveled by scooter from the north to the south of Vietnam. I was on the road for over 45 days and traveled more than 1,300 miles in total

Taught English for free to kids in the Vietnamese countryside - Nghe An province

Circumnavigated the U.S. on a train over the span of a month!

I'm about to visit my 30th country, just in time for 30 years!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you English, Spanish, Vietnamese, French, and Portuguese,

Why worry? You can be pretty happy if you put your mind to it ;P

What I Can Share with Hosts

Knowledge of some foreign languages

Anecdotes and good times :)

Adventures and general shenanigans

Would be happy to help around the house and cook something

Basic bike repair and maintenance

Hope you can help me make a short video/blog about your city/town/locale :)

I'm respectful, open-minded, compassionate, and a friend to everyone I meet.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, Slovakia, Thailand, Togo, United Kingdom, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ghana, Peru, United States, Viet Nam