I grew up in rural southern Oregon. I spent three years on the east coast (Georgia and DC). After finishing up grad school I came back to the west coast. The past year I worked on a small organic veggie and flower farm outside of Bend, Oregon. I'm about to head up to Fairbanks, Alaska for the winter to work with sled dogs, learn an Athabaskan language, and see what it feels like to be under the northern lights.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The idea of couchsurfing has interested me for awhile. I've done wwoofing and had great experiences through that, and I got connected with the person I'm going to be living with in Fairbanks through workaway. What I like about those networks is the opportunity it provides to connect with a place through people who know it intimately. I see couchsurfing as another way to build unexpected relationships with people and places.

To address the current moment- I've been backpacking and camping along thr Oregon coast and Olympic peninsula the past two and half weeks. This morning I woke up and felt that I was done with that. Of course I'll be just fine continuing on with the hiking and camping, but I thought I'd try to find a place stay in Seattle before I fly out to Fairbanks next weekend. I think the city would be a nice change of pace and energize me in a different way than the ocean or rainforest.

Interests

I like to move a lot (hence the farming, hiking, running, and not staying in one place for long). More specifically, I like the way each of those things opens up new ways to relate and engage with the materials and people around me. I like to understand how things work. I like to see how seemingly disjointed things are intertwined. The interest in sociology comes from my academic background, but it's a particular way I've been taught to interpret the world around me. It's useful, but I'm also working to understand the limitations of a "sociological perspective" and open myself up to different knowledge bases.

• running
• hiking
• sociology
• permaculture
• farming

Music, Movies, and Books

I've read a lot in the fields of sociology, critical theory, and american studies. I'm pushing myself to expand into fiction. The most recent thing I've read that's really impacted me was Ceremony but Leslie Marmon Silko.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This spring the high desert recieved more rain than average, resulting in a "superbloom". It was incredible to watch the waves of larkspur, monkey flowers, and sulphur buckwheat move through the spring-summer. It was especially striking in the sunset to twilight time of day. It felt like the desert was glowing.

Teach, Learn, Share

I like stories. One of the ways that living in Georgia impacted me was the commitment to storytelling. On average people from Oregon talk faster than those from any other state. Early on in my days in Georgia I was blowing through some story and the person who was listening stopped me and said "Slow down. Make it a good story." That's stuck with me. It's a practice I'm still working at. That sums up what I like to share. I like hearing funny stories, sad stories, about the moments when things turn abruptly, about the things people hang on to.

I don't know about teaching. I have a lot of doubts about what it means to be an expert in something. I think I know a good deal about plants at this point and always enjoy talking about the meanings we make from plants and the landscapes around us.

What I Can Share with Hosts

If you have plants that need care I can do that- any sort of gardening work I'm super into. I'm good with dogs (any animals really but I did dog walking while in DC so I have the most experience there). If you want a short term running buddy I'm there (I run about 30 miles a week). I like to cook and would be more than happy to make food for you.

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States