ABOUT ME

I'm extremely passionate about traveling, mostly because I love to learn about other cultures and I get restless if I'm settled anywhere for too long. I am hoping to continue learning and enriching my life by meeting new people and experiencing whatever's out there for me to get involved with. I studied international Development at UC Berkeley in California and am currently in law school, planning to go into a field called Project Finance through which my goal is to one day be a part of the effort to establish strong renewable energy projects in Latin America. I love nature, and also love Latin American culture, food, lifestyle and the Spanish language, so it's a field I'm very excited about. Between my university studies and law school I took a year off to mostly travel and cook. I spent 3 months working as a tour guide for American high school students around Northern Spain, trying to introduce them to the sights, sounds, food, people and culture that I grew to love during my studies there in 2009. I also spent 3 months farming in Hawaii, which was far harder than I could have imagined, but also very rewarding. And the last 3 months of my fantastic gap year I spent volunteering in Nicaragua with a small community development non-profit called Waves of Hope, which was a hugely eye-opening experience. Nicaragua holds a special place in my heart and I can't wait to go back.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've only couch surfed one time, in Salamanca, Spain, and it was a great experience (I had a wonderful and gracious host!) that has left me wanting more.

Interests

Hiking, reading, exploring, traveling, eating!, cooking, drinking a good strong cup of coffee, film, live music, and good conversation

• culture
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• hiking
• law
• tourism
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I've recently been on a big documentaries bing, and really enjoyed: Exit Through the Gift Shop; The Artist is Present; Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry; Jiro Dreams of Sushi; and Bill Cunningham's New York. I also really enjoy films by Pedro Almodovar and other somewhat avant-garde films like especially Mulholland Dr.

Favorite books include Mrs. Dalloway, Kafka on the Shore, the Marriage Plot, all of Kurt Vonnegut's, Nabokov's, and Joseph Conrad's books, and Brave New World.

Music - I love a huge array of music and some of my favorite artists include The Smiths, The Cure; The Pixies, Arthur Russell, The Beatles, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Coltrane, Elliott Smith... I could really just go on and on.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Bamboo river rafting during a monsoon rainstorm in Thailand when I was 16 was one of the most exciting and ridiculous experiences of my life.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Ecuador, England, France, Greece, Israel, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Spain, United States