CURRENT MISSION

to add more life to my days than days to my life

ABOUT ME

I'm a nerdy-type of PhD doctor who loves traveling above all else. I enjoy meeting new people, learning about new cultures, tasting new foods, trying new recipes, and trying to learn new languages.

I left the US for Berlin, Germany (armed with two suitcases and the only German word I knew: bier) five days after graduating University. I spent 8 years in Berlin and met my husband there (also a nerdy PhD type ;-) I then lived and worked in Vancouver, Canada for two years before returning to Berlin to start a family. We now have two adorable small children (as of 2016).

PHILOSOPHY

I know this is cheesy, but,
'add more life to your days than days to your life'
- I don't know who actually said that first.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have only used CS a couple of times, but I have let numerous friends of friends crash on my couch, which is more or less the same. I am looking forward to being more active.

I haven't used CS (much) since having kids, because I feel it may be a bit of an imposition to the hosts, especially if they are young and have no children themselves. Once the kids are a little older, I want to start hosting again, particularly travelers with kids. I imagine any kids traveling with their parents would be pretty happy to stay at a place full of toys to explore.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

The best! I've only had (very) positive experiences with the like-minded cool traveler-type people I've met on CS. How else could I get such first-hand knowledge like where the best slice of chocolate cake is, or where the best local market can be found? I've met several members while traveling, as well, and I'm hoping to make some more new friends.

Interessen

Traveling, science and nature, photography, politics, languages/linguistics, and learning how the brain works.

• photography
• recipes
• politics
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• canoeing
• languages
• physics
• science
• comedy

Musik, Filme und Bücher

Books: mostly non fiction
Magazines: National Geographic & Outside
Website: BBC & NPR
Music: 80s, 90s, Indie Rock, jazz

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Favorite thing to see while traveling: the moon rise

Biggest adrenaline rush: swing jump at the Last Resort in Nepal.

Roughest ride: on a rented bike in Laos with no handle bars (they had fallen off). I was rescued by a pig farmer who offered us & our broken bikes a ride in the back of his tractor.

Best meals: (1) eating a barracuda I caught with my dad in barbados, (2) eating a grilled Tuna steak with veggies in Rai Lai Thailand, (3) fresh cut sushi with my friends in Tokyo (seafood seems to rise to the top for my best meals)

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I'd love to practice my Spanish with future surfers. Also, recipe trading would be a huge plus.
I like to talk about physics education and teaching - I consider a good teacher to be worth their weight in gold :-)

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

I can share recipes and travel stories and insight into learning science, in particular physics. I hear lots of people tell me they "can't do physics" but you never hear people say they "can't do history". I think it's about how physics is taught and I am on a small mission to change that.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Canada, Germany, Hungary, United States