I strive to be an anti-consumerists, I value people and experiences over things. I love all sorts of people and love to learn about different lifestyles and world views.One of my favorite things to do when i travel is find hole-in-the-wall restaurants and hiking spots .

I am currently an outpatient mental health/substance use therapist. I have previously worked with the homeless in LA as well as in Grand Rapids.I've worked in the mental health field, with individuals with traumatic brain injuries, hospice, gerontology, and individuals with substance use disorders.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to host people! I try to connect with people wherever I travel so that I can experience real cities, places and people rather than just move on though or be a tourist. I try to attend CS events but lately it's been pretty difficult with my schedule. I attended and helped out with ArtCrash in 2011 which is a CS even during ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. I also attended Nain Rouge CS halloween party in Detroit in 2011.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

A friend and I couch surfed our way down to the gulf coast and back to interview people on the gulf oil spill for a national organization. We couch surfed in Memphis on our way down and in Nashville on our way back up, meeting some great people with good recommendations of places to visit and hitting up a good number of breweries the entire trip.

Interests

Food justice advocacy and I love to learn about food and local food systems. I love cooking vegan/vegetarian food (I am non-judgmental, eat whatever you want) hiking, camping, road biking, traveling, fishing, and I love Knitting!

• dining
• cooking
• beer
• vegetarian
• vegan
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• dumpster diving
• knitting
• cycling
• fishing
• hiking
• camping
• biking
• snorkling

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to a large variety of music including folk music, post rock and bluegrass

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I took the Amtrack to California and back in 2009, stopping in Colorado for a month to camp and hike on the Grand Mesa and the National Monument and then continuing on to Los Angeles to work on Skid Row for a month with the Los Angeles Catholic Worker house in their Hippie Kitchen, Clinic and commune.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know grand rapids counter-culture and foodie culture very well. I can tell you a lot of cool places to check out and tell you about amazing food to eat. I can teach vegan cooking, making Kahlua and kombucha, composting and dumpster diving (though I haven't gone in a couple of years due to working full time and being in graduate school). I would love to learn whatever anyone can teach me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Scotland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, New Zealand, United States

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