Emily Ralph's Photo

Unverified Profile

  • Payment not verified
  • Phone not verified
  • Government ID not verified

Maybe Accepting Guests

  • Last login about 9 years ago

Join Couchsurfing to see Emily’s full profile.

Overview

  • 6 references 5 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in English; learning French, Spanish
  • 47, Female
  • Member since 2011
  • retail manager
  • finished high school with honors but then dropped out of ...
  • From Ottawa IL
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

CURRENT MISSION

to have fun in Chicago

ABOUT ME

I came to college in Chicago when I was 17 so by now I know it very well. I love urban life--my two favorite things are movies and music but I love art, books, museums, the zoo and parks, etc. I also LOVE eating at restaurants, whether trying new ones or returning to old favorites. I love shopping and fashion, and I am very interested in politics (as a very liberal Democrat). I probably spend most of my time with my dog but I have friends and relatives all over Chicagoland.

PHILOSOPHY

I am not religious but I do believe in a certain idea of karma. I feel that we should all treat each other as well as we can on this planet. I love learning about new cultures and I wish I could visit every country on Earth. I am a huge animal lover and I am a vegetarian but I don't mind if you eat meat...just don't be mean to my dog!!!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far I have had a great time hosting and showing people around in Chicago...I hope to do some surfing soon!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I love the idea of couchsurfing and I have not had any bad experiences thus far...this site makes it easy to connect to like-minded people all over the world.

Interests

politics (I worked for Obama in fall 2008 and for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in fall 2010), movies (I used to work at Facets Multimedia [facets.org]), which is an amazing place that shows movies, has an entire library of film for rental, and also sells movies, books and magazines (they are all over my room and I am always in the middle of a few), and music (I am almost always listening to something and I love going to see bands)

  • animals
  • dogs
  • arts
  • books
  • fashion
  • cooking
  • vegetarian
  • partying
  • shopping
  • politics
  • movies
  • music
  • surfing
  • rock climbing
  • languages
  • parks

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all different kinds of movies but some favorite people in film are Wes Anderson, Will Ferrell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cary Grant, Bill Murray, Julianne Moore, Jean-Luc Godard, Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Audrey Hepburn, and Jack Nicholson.
My favorite bands are many but forever-favorites are the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. I love Radiohead, the Hold Steady, Elliott Smith, the New Pornographers, Wilco, the Thermals, U2, and also sillier stuff like Britney Spears and Katy Perry.
A few of my favorite writers are J.D. Salinger, David Foster Wallace, John le Carre, and Lorrie Moore. Books are Catch-22, Eat the Document, Random Family, and High Fidelity.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I climbed the steps to the top of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, despite my incredible vertigo and fear of climbing (it's not the going up but the coming back down that kills me). I could never do it again but it was the most beautiful view of Paris, from the top of a beautiful old building, and so cool to be looking out at the city with the gargoyles.

Teach, Learn, Share

Not sure what I could teach...maybe some vocabulary words from different languages. I like to cook but would love for someone to teach me something new.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States

Old School Badges

  • 1 Vouch

Join Couchsurfing to see Emily’s full profile.

My Groups