CURRENT MISSION

Growing, learning, finding stuff out, getting fit in as many domains as possible

ABOUT ME

Born in Pennsylvania, grew up moving from place to place, mostly overseas. From Pennsylvania to Hawaii to Libya (5 years) to the Netherlands (7 years). Left home to go to boarding school at age 11, spent summers and vacations either with my mom and stepdad in Qatar or with my dad and stepmom in Spain or UK. Moved back to US to go to college, since then have lived in upstate NY, Colorado, Toronto (1 year), London (2 years), Oregon (15 years).

PHILOSOPHY

My philosophy is to pay attention, find joy in the beauty of nature and life, do what I can to help others move forward on whatever path they need to be on, and be grateful for the many blessings in my life. I make connections easily, and value them.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Have hosted three couch surfers so far, one from Canada, two from France. Enjoyed both experiences.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Have not couch surfed myself yet.

Interests

I am an academic and an athlete. I do research and teach in the psychology department at the University of Oregon, and I compete in the Masters division of Crossfit and also do weight-lifting. I love traveling and studying languages. In the last several years I have been focusing on Japanese.

• writing
• beauty
• athlete
• crossfit
• traveling
• languages
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

I prefer dramas, action movies, and documentaries, not such a big fan of comedy. Eclectic musical taste, from blues and jazz to Eminem to Japanese pop music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I had an amazing experience being an honored guest at a tea ceremony in Hiroshima, completely unexpectedly (I just showed up at a temple because I saw some signs advertising an event, and was able to recognize the characters for tea ceremony), and managed to use Japanese appropriately enough not to embarrass myself or others.

Teach, Learn, Share

I understand people pretty well, and am a good observer. People who hang out with me tend to learn things about themselves. I also am a good writer and editor.