I grew up moving around the United States, and somewhere over the course of the ten places I've lived here, I became obsessed with meeting new people and exploring new places. Ever since graduating from college a few years ago, my life's been all about travel! I'm currently in the process of moving to Melbourne, Australia on a work & holiday visa.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm excited to get to know locals and fellow travelers over my upcoming year in Australia. I'm especially interested in exploring Melbourne with people who call it home, and in returning the couchsurfing favor to other travelers when I get my own place there!

Interests

- Travel
- Hiking
- Snorkeling & diving
- Reading & writing
- Photography
- Music (I don't have talent myself, but I'm a big fan of shows & festivals!)
- Running & yoga
- Surfing (very much a beginner!)
- Conservation, farming, science & nature in general
- International development

• writing
• books
• photography
• festivals
• cooking
• yoga
• running
• boating
• flowers
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• surfing
• scuba diving
• snorkeling
• rock climbing
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

A sampling, because I could on about these forever (music & books especially!):

Music: The Avett Brothers, First Aid Kit, Modest Mouse, Local Natives, Banks, Sylvan Esso, alt-J, HAIM, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Dispatch, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Jenny Lewis, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Hozier, Childish Gambino, Ben Folds, Frightened Rabbit, Neko Case, Matt & Kim...

Movies: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, When Harry Met Sally, The Graduate, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Chicago & Moulin Rouge...on the whole, I'm really much more of a TV person and love Shameless (the US version), The Americans, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Scrubs, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Parks & Rec, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc...

Books: The White Album (Joan Didion), Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Joan Didion), The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (Anne Fadiman), Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie), What Is the What (Dave Eggers), The Feast of Love (Charles Baxter), A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer), Everything Is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer), A Visit from the Good Squad (Jennifer Egan), The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (Tom Wolfe), The Quiet American (Graham Greene), The History of Love (Nicole Krauss), An Invisible Sign of My Own (Aimee Bender), A Brief History of Seven Killings (Marlon James) & Harry Potter - the whole series, of course!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Last year, I had the incredible opportunity to live in Thailand and teach English at a secondary school in a small town called Wang Chan three hours east of Bangkok. I taught there for two semesters and absolutely adored my students - I still think about them all the time! Living in Thailand also gave me the opportunity to travel extensively around the country. Some of my favorite experiences there include snorkeling for five hours a day during a stay on the Surin Islands, hiking up Ko Chang's highest peak and stargazing there all night, spending an early morning boating around an Isaan lake famous for its hundreds of thousands of seasonal lotus flowers and passing afternoons wandering around my local markets.

Teach, Learn, Share

I enjoy teaching English and have spent many years tutoring students; I also enjoy editing writing for friends. Over the next couple of years, I really hope to learn/improve my surfing, rock climbing and yoga skills. I'm also eager to get into WWOOFing and learn more about farming. As for sharing - everything! Adventures, experiences, ideas, books, life - you name it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Besides what's listed above, I'm laid-back and always down for an adventure. As a guest I'm more than ready to help cook and clean; perhaps more importantly, I'm excited to return the favor and host you in my future homes in the US and elsewhere :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nicaragua, Panama, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, Thailand, United States