Hello! I am a PhD student in Evolutionary Biology in New York City. Whenever I have free time I love traveling. My favorite way to travel is by myself because I have the space to connect with new friends. I live for new experiences and can have fun doing pretty much anything. I am neat, respectful, and considerate guest. I look forward to meeting you!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have made so many amazing connections through couchsurfing over the years through guests and visits. It is the best way to experience a new area, and I much prefer couchsurfing over hotels. I am a free spirit, and like bouncing around to different areas while living out of my backpack. I love sharing stories and learning new things. This is the foundation of the human experience.

Interests

I study gut microbes in wild vertebrates. I go on field expeditions to learn how animals in the wild have healthier, more diverse microbial communities. It is an exciting, fast-developing field of ecology. But it is hard work, so I make sure I have a balanced life full of adventure, art, and positive people. My favorite hobby is rock climbing, which I do in the gym and outdoors when it's warm or I'm traveling. If you are a rock climber, tell me and I'll bring my harness and shoes :)

• yoga
• surfing
• rock climbing
• ecology
• science
• beach volleyball
• vipassana
• genetics
• evolutionary biology

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: I just read Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions while in the middle of the jungle during my last expedition. I can't describe in words how deeply it influenced me. I felt the Great Spirit.
Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Amazons of Black Sparta, The Jungle Books, The Holographic Universe, "Teddy" by JD Salinger, A Song of Fire and Ice, Siddhartha, His Dark Materials Trilogy, The Millenium Trilogy, The Harry Potter Series, The Bell Jar, The Dune Series, etc.
Films: Anything by Miyazaki, The Life Aquatic and other Wes Andersons, Kuki Se Vraci, The Fountain, Star Wars, I Heart Huckabees, good fantasies and silly comedies.
Music: St. Vincent, M.I.A, Andrew Bird, Fever Ray, Radiohead, Floex, Animal Collective, Zap Mama, Tomas Dvorak/Floex, Of Montreal, Nina Simone, St. Germain, Malcolm in the Middle, Janelle Monae, Roy Hargrove and other tasty jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, Broken Social Scene, Eryka Badu, Aka Pygmy music, Photay, D'angelo's Black Messiah, and the bird and the bee.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

So far I have completed 2 expeditions to remote mountains on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. I lived in a hammock and collected samples for my research for 20 days straight each time.
But I have many other amazing stories, if you're interested in hearing them in person :)

Teach, Learn, Share

Hm, not sure what to put here. I LOVE science (think if Bill Nye and Jane Goodall had a love-child) and I try to supplement my research career with lots of public outreach. My favorite version is teaching an after-school science class for elementary school children. I was inspired by passionate, science-loving adults when I was a mini-nerd, so I do my best to inspire others and pay it forward. I feel the root of the human experience is sharing wisdom, so I'm always down for meaningful sharing of ideas with other passionate people.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to cook, clean, do yard work, gardening, home repair (my father is a construction worker), and just be useful in general. I'm also very good with animals and children. Obviously having productive conversations with sustenance is my favorite thing to share.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Ecuador, Kenya

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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