Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on an epic 3 month train trip (Russia, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand) and a friend convinced me to try couchsurfing so I could meet more locals.

I've hosted a few people to get to know what the community is like and I've had such lovely experiences. I'm in love with Edinburgh, and it's so nice to have an opportunity to share that. I can't wait to meet as many people as possible on my trip and get to know what they love about the places they live in.

Interests

I'm obsessed with food and I do a lot of cooking and baking. I'm pretty crafty and love making all sorts of things.

I started swing dancing about a year and a half ago and it's fair to say that Lindy Hop has taken over my life. I absolutely love it. I've been trying to go dancing anywhere I am that has a scene, so I've been in St Petersburg, Moscow, Beijing and Shanghai so far, with plans to go in Saigon and Bangkok as well!

Lately I've just been trying to do as many new things as possible and say yes to any adventure that pops up.

• dancing
• swing dancing
• dining
• cooking
• baking
• flying
• traveling

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all sorts of music. I was raised on alternative/indie/grunge rock. I now listen to loads of swing and jazz. I LOVE Motown and Northern Soul, and I have a soft spot for nearly anything on piano. But really, anything that's good, I'm all over it. Hip hop, pop, Balkan, blues, etc.

My favourite movies are Ferris Bueller's Day Off (ALWAYS!), O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Rushmore. I'm also guaranteed to love nearly anything Pixar does.

Favourite book of all time is The Great Gatsby. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a close second. Lately I tend to read a lot of nonfiction. But I'm always just looking for really good stories, true or made up.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Flew in a tiiiiny plane over the Okavango Delta (a pretty big deal for me as I'm no big fan of flying).

Saw rhinos in the wild.

Drove the great ocean road in Australia.

Learned to dance!

Became a citizen of a country other than where I was born.

Jumped into Lake Baikal in December. 3 times!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a firm believer anyone can cook or bake, and I'm totally willing to teach that. Or just to cook for you! Food is one of the best bits of travel.

It's also my goal to go to Lindy socials and classes in as many places I can find them, all the better if I can do it in good company. I've convinced at least one fellow traveler to join me once and it was a blast!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Botswana, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States