***Upcoming trips: Miyazaki, Beppu, Hakata, Kumamoto, and Hiroshima (Japan)***

Hey, everyone! I grew up in Columnbus, Ohio and was a corporate buyer for a fashion retail brand for almost 10 years. I decided to apply for Teach for America and then taught middle school math and science in Oakland, California for two years. I recently joined the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program and moved to Osaka (Minoh), Japan in August 2018. My job as a buyer sparked my travel interest, as I worked abroad in Paris, London, Mumbai, Seoul, Delhi, Bangalore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Dalian, Los Angeles, New York, etc! I lived in Ohio for 31 years until I moved to Oakland and just started my adventure in Japan last year.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I just started Couchsurfing recently to not only save a little money, but also to hopefully meet some cool people, both as a guest and as a host. Feel free to contact me with any questions! I usually use a service like Airbnb, so I can live and interact in and with the communities in which I'm staying, so this seems like a natural fit!

Interests

• yoga
• dance music
• soccer
• language exchange
• travel
• eating
• motorcycling

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite music (right now!) is deep house, like Goldfish. I recently was turned onto Superorganism, which is my new jam. Appreciate old school hip hop (90's) as well. I typically like to read fiction stories and biographies. I'm currently reading "Almost Transparent Blue" by Ryū Murakami. I like "Into the Wild," "Pre," "On The Road," and "Dharma Burns" as well, to name a few. I don't watch a ton of movies, but I like old school Leo's "The Beach" and also the "Before Sunrise" Trilogy. Looking forward to checking out season 4 of "Rick and Morty” (whenever is comes out!). I’m currently binging Californication and Blacklist.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I had the chance to study abroad in Greece and backpack Europe afterwards with two good buddies. I'm deathly afraid of heights, but I bungee jumped out of a gondola in Interlaken, Switzerland, which was pretty amazing!

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to practice some language exchange, with whatever languages, keeping in mind I'm only fluent in English. Happy to share stories and also let you do your own thing, should you choose to stay with me.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a respectful guest who would be happy to interact, but also able to do my own thing. I've traveled quite a bit solo, but still new to the Couchsurfing experience, so happy to hear any tips. I enjoy nightlife, so tend to go to sleep a little later, but again, happy to be respectful of house rules. Looking forward to meeting you and thanks in advance!

Countries I’ve Visited

Aruba, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, England, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Macao, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States