CURRENT MISSION

Meet amazing people and have crazy adventures while in grad school!

ABOUT ME

I carry a tiny spoon with me at all times for emergency eating situations because my favorite things to do in a new place are 1) meet new people and 2) eat yummy food! I lived in Russia for a year and have been working as a teacher on the Navajo Indian Reservation for the past two years. I decided I needed a break before returning to academia and have been adventuring around the U.S. visiting old friends and relatives since August 2010.

My favorite thing about road-tripping has been getting to know the people I've stayed with on an entirely new level. I've known some of the people that hosted me for years, but after living with them for a few days and doing totally mundane things (e.g. making breakfast, doing laundry, going to the grocery store, etc.), I feel like I know them in a much more intimate and comprehensive way. Having traversed thousands of miles across the U.S. in my rickety old Volvo, I've realized that what I've gained aren't anecdotes about the amazing sights I've seen, but the opportunity to create and strengthen my relationships with people. I've united with family members I never knew, reconnected with old friends, and even made brand new ones. I'm so thankful for what this trip has become and I hope to continue to build amazing relationships as I head to California for grad school.

PHILOSOPHY

Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth. And eat everything that's delicious. Life is waaay to short to spend your time doing anything but enjoying every single moment or being anything less than totally honest with yourself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have been living in Monterey since January 2011 and am excited to share my couch! I've been couch surfing across the country for 4 months and I can't wait to return the favors :)

Interests

Mostly, I like bubbles, dancing and/or frolicking, and roller skating - but I'll do anything at least once and am interested in nearly everything! (e.g. inhuman mammals raising human babies, randomness, revolutionaries, reveling, books, bikes, kittens, and - when it's cold - mittens! etc.)

• books
• dancing
• dining
• breakfast
• drinking
• surfing
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Brother's Bloom, Metropolis, I Heart Huckabees, Milo and Otis, Sex and Lucia, Hable Con Ella, The Man in the White Suit, Ironiya Sudby, 2046, Slumdog Millionaire, Ghost Dog...

Music: Miriam Makeba, Leonard Cohen, The Black Keys, Joanna Newsom, Arcade Fire, ODB, Nick Cave, Neko Case, Beach House, Edward Sharpe, Ying-Yang Twins, Andrew Bird, TV on the Radio, Gypsy Kings, Jenny Lewis, Fever Ray, Mumford and Sons, Buena Vista Social Club, and did I mention? O. D. B.

Books: Cat's Cradle, Immortality, anything by Italo Calvino or Tom Stoppard, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, The Watchmen, Consider the Lobster, Borges, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once followed a trail of camels and a guiding star to the top of Mt. Sinai so I could watched the sun rise.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love games and am always looking for new ones to play or riddles to solve. If you'd like to learn a game, I can teach you "SET" but only if you accept that you may lose the first couple of times :) I'd also be totally into learning your favorite dish, song, dance, or mixed drink and would be happy to share the same.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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