I'm a PhD student at Duke University studying South Asian and British Imperial history. I'm currently living in India for a year, studying Bengali and Hindi, and doing research on 19th century famines on the Indian subcontinent. I miss my home very much, but I'm driven to travel by an insatiable desire to learn. I'm fascinated by the multitude of ways humans have come to live their lives and occupy their spaces. I love exploring other cultures, their traditions, cuisine, folkways, music. I hope to use all this knowledge I'm accumulating to foster unity between peoples in my eventual career as a historian.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to meet locals/travelers and share stories and insights with them.

Interests

I'm especially interested in learning about the cuisine, folk music, and myths/legends of other cultures. Living in rural South Korea for an extended period of time has allowed me to really dive into things like traditional archery, minyo (folk singing), and cooking traditional dishes. I think participating in such activities is one of the best ways to get to know a culture. When traveling, I look for experiences such as these.

I also enjoy connecting with the land through hiking. Experiencing the contours of a landscape can help you understand a culture, as well as deepening your appreciation of nature. Some of the most transcendent experiences I've had have happened while hiking mountains. I'm also a fan of roadtripping, another great way to get to know a place.

An overarching interest of mine is to discover why I'm here and what my duties as a human being are. I'm always interested in discussing things like this, no matter what you believe.

• singing
• dining
• cooking
• reading
• music
• folk music
• hiking
• catholic
• baseball
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I've always been a big fan of classic and prog rock, with Jethro Tull, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and U2 being my favorites. Now I listen to a lot more alternative, rap, and folk music. My current favorites are Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, Stan Rogers, Bob Dylan, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance the Rapper.

I absolutely adore Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I also enjoy the movies of Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarrantino, and the Coen brothers.

I went to a great books college, so I've been conditioned to love the classics (Homer, Vergil, Dante, etc.) Recently I've been enjoying the work of W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Walker Percy, Wendell Berry, and David Foster Wallace. I try to read every day, and I've always got more than one book going.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of my favorite memories from South Korea is cycling the coast of Gangwon Province. I started near the DMZ and spent three leisurely days riding to Samcheok. South Korea's east coast is mostly made up of beautiful untouched beaches and tiny surfing towns. I visited many temples and hanok villages, and saw many breathtaking natural sights. This trip taught me the the wonders of slowing life down, living out of a backpack, and enjoying seafood for every meal.

I've also done El Camino de Santiago in winter. I walked 800 km across northern Spain in February 2017.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I know a bunch of American, Canadian, Irish, and British folk songs ( still working on some Korean ones.)

I can share cooking tips from several different cultures.

I've got a lot of weird/maybe useless information stuck in my head.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Nepal, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Ireland, South Korea, United States