I am a music teacher and classically-trained musician who loves to travel and spend time outdoors! I'm taking time off from work and have been traveling for the past year. Come the Fall 2023, I'll be settling down in Cambridge, UK, with my partner as he pursues his Master's degree. I'm not one for partying, but instead really enjoy engaging in stimulating conversations, and listening to what others have to say. I consider myself to be a down-to-earth, considerate person who loves to learn.

I believe that the important things in life are the relationships you establish with people and the experiences you have, which will stay with you forever. Life is too short to pass up an opportunity to learn, explore, and have fun!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

You can't beat staying with a local as a way of getting to know a new place. The couchsurfing experiences I've had (both hosting and surfing) have all been very positive! I really enjoy conversing with people and I love to learn new things, both of which couchsurfing allows me to do through meeting those who would otherwise be strangers!

Interests

I enjoy singing, playing various instruments, reading, hiking, camping, kayaking, partner dancing (love me some contra dancing, some blues, and occasionally Latin & West Coast swing), yoga (the physical as well as spiritual practice), board games, vegetarian and gluten-free cooking, language learning (wee bits of German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian), environmentalism, attempting watercolor paintings that don't suck, attempting to ski without making a fool of myself, and traveling of course!

• arts
• books
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• vegetarian
• yoga
• board games
• reading
• traveling
• music
• folk music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• teaching
• languages
• volunteering
• wwoof

Music, Movies, and Books

*music: Hozier, Punch Brothers, Ingrid Michaelson, Damien Rice, Bon Iver, Radiohead; musical theater such as Last 5 Years, Into the Woods, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen; symphonic classical such as Mahler, Brahms, R. Strauss; Celtic such as Flook, Alasdair Fraser, Crowfoot, Hanneke Cassel, Talisk
*movies: Little Miss Sunshine, Lord of the Rings, V for Vendetta, Shakespeare in Love, plus foreign animated films such as Triplets of Belville, Secret of Kells, Howl's Moving Castle
*books: Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer, Toni Morrison, David Sedaris, Neil Gaiman, Malcolm Gladwell, Ursula K LeGuin, Kazuo Ishiguro

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In Aug. 2022 I completed hiking all 272 miles (438 km) of the Long Trail in Vermont, from Massachusetts to Canada!

In Sep./Oct. 2022 I walked the Camino de Santiago from San Sebastian to Santiago, and on to Finesterre (about 500 miles/800 km)!

Teach, Learn, Share

I always love to share my knowledge of and passion for music, as well as exchange book recommendations and learn about yoga and Buddhist philosophy. I would love to learn about anything at all really! Some things that I enjoy but don't know much about--but wish I did--include art, foreign languages, new dance styles, traditional folk music, and eastern religion and philosophy.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm happy to contribute to cooking if there's a shared meal, to share anything within my area of expertise (music/teaching), or perhaps to sing the Vermont state song for you upon request ;)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States