CURRENT MISSION

Learning to be an engineer and a better person... and enjoying life along the way!

ABOUT ME

I care a lot about the environment and about people. I love to laugh and have a pretty robust sense of humor. I love to read and I love math, and I love to take things apart and put them back together again. One of my favorite things to do is participate in instrumental ensembles and make friends with other "band nerds", and I love to sing along with Beatles songs and folk tunes around a piano or campfire.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in human equality. I am a feminist and an LGBT ally and I am firmly against basically every other "ism" -- racism, sexism, ableism... the list goes on...
I am passionate about the environment -- I believe that we still have a chance to stem the tide of global warming, and I want to help in that fight.
I try to be a positive person and help others when I can.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm hoping to surf some couches as I travel through Europe! I currently don't have a couch to offer, but when I do, I plan to host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I surfed with one lovely person in the south of Spain in January. It was so awesome to get to know her and her beautiful little beach town! I am hoping to continue surfing and meeting people from Couchsurfing, both this summer in Spain, and in my future back in the U.S. (or wherever I end up).

Interests

I play the trumpet and the piano, so classical/instrumental music is a huge part of my life.
I love to read, especially young adult fantasy novels.
I make jewelry in my spare time, and I love to admire gems and other stones as well as other people's beadwork.
I love to cook and to bake (and to eat), especially when my food involves fresh vegetables or chocolate (not at the same time).
I love engineering and all things related -- I love to (attempt to) fix and build things, and I love solving math problems.

• writing
• singing
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• flying
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• piano
• trumpet
• instrumental music
• surfing
• engineering
• mathematics
• physics
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I love many genres of music, but many of my favorite musicians are dead.
I love fantasy books and young adult fiction, especially books by Tamora Pierce, and of course the Harry Potter series.
I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Disney movies, romantic comedies...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This summer, I worked with the branch of the United States government that dealt with oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, so I had a chance to accompany government inspectors to offshore oil rigs. I got to sit in the front seat of a helicopter while flying over the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico! And once I got to the rigs, I had the disorienting experience of being the only woman around.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm good at basic physics and pretty complex math, and I love to teach people physics and math.
I'm a huge nerd about English grammar, and I really enjoy proofreading other people's writing.
I have tried to teach many people to play my trumpet (with varying degrees of success), and I also know a fair bit about music, such as how to read music and what the various Italian musical terms mean.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Hungary, Morocco, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, Spain, United States