CURRENT MISSION

Lost my job? Time to travel!

ABOUT ME

I enjoy taking random and last-minute vacations. I also enjoying planning vacations far into the future so I have months to tweak the itinerary, which we ignore as soon as we get there and end up winging it! I like hanging out at my house for about a day and then I get antsy to leave. I love reading, spending low-key time with friends and family, and having adventures. My sister is my best friend: we look alike, act alike, talk alike, etc. Our boyfriends can't tell us apart on the phone. I go through craft/hobby phases. Recent hobbies include: making homemade recycled paper, gardening (indoor and outdoor), remodeling my bathroom (by myself!), crocheting (I always come back to this one, my grandma taught me when I was 8), matting and framing, cooking Indian food, candle-making, and others. I live my life on a soundtrack, so even if I'm not listening to music chances are there's a song in my head that captures whatever I'm experiencing at the moment.

PHILOSOPHY

I don't think I need to have a personal philosophy at the age of 28. All I know is that I enjoy being a teacher and a student, and hope to continue being both for my whole life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Glad to finally live somewhere where we will be able to host! Previous homes, were in small towns in Ohio, now we're in DC and looking forward to hosting more.

Surfed in Indiana, DC, NYC, London and Munich

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first CS experience was surfing with Cynthia in Indianapolis for one night. She made my first CS experience great! Christmas '08 through NYE '09 I went on a trip to Germany, Austria and France. Me, my cousin and sister surfed 8 nights in Munich with 3 different hosts. Could not have hoped for a better time and everyone was AMAZING!!

Spring break '09, went to DC and NYC and met our "long lost family" in Randy, who welcomed us to his home; the similarities between Randy and Chris were uncanny. Then on to NYC we were stayed with Thomas and Marie, a nice French couple. Surfed in London with Sharon and Martin Dec 09-Jan 10. Hosted Ray in Oxford, Ohio for 3 days, and then Rob and Jess in DC for 3 days.

Interests

I listen to all kinds of music, but I'm really into indie music, which is the word I use for random music that most people have never heard of. Examples: Kimya Dawson, The Perishers, Arctic Monkeys, Badly Drawn Boy, Peter Bjorn and John, Lenka. Finding new bands is like a hobby for me.

I enjoy seeing anything live. Broadway, musicals, plays, ballet, symphony, I'll watch anything that is on a stage.

Reading, lately I only have time to read research for my thesis but I enjoy reading memoirs and fantasy lit.

Wanderlust. Making intricate travel itineraries for trips I may or may not take. Several people have told me that I missed my calling as a travel agent and/or tour guide.

• ballet dancing
• dining
• cooking
• indian food
• cheese
• flying
• gardening
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• crochet
• music
• outdoor activities
• surfing
• teaching
• tourism
• last minute travel

Music, Movies, and Books

MOVIES: Little Miss Sunshine, Gone in 60 Seconds, Moulin Rouge, Good Will Hunting, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Love Actually, Two Weeks Notice, Closer, Casablanca, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Con Air, Disney movies, RENT, Chicago, When Harry Met Sally

MUSIC: Ben Folds, Amy Winehouse, The Ditty Bops, Kimya Dawson, The Dresden Dolls, Bell X1, Arctic Monkeys, Brand New, Tegan & Sara, Ben Folds, The Killers, Lenka, Barenaked Ladies, U2, Keane, Donavon Frankenreiter, Alanis Morisette, Bright Eyes, Ben Folds, John Mayer, Oasis, The Perishers, Norah Jones, Belle and Sebastian, Ben Folds, Liz Phair, Beulah, The Futureheads, Peter Bjorne and John, and Ben Folds one more time for good measure

BOOKS: The Time Traveller's Wife, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Poisonwood Bible, Daughter of Fortune, greek and roman plays and mythology, Trauma and Recovery, Sword of Truth Series, The Belgariad series. Favorite authors: Terry Goodkind, David Eddings, Orson Scott Card, David Sedaris, Jane Austen, Augusten Burroughs, Rick Steves... And of course I will never tire of my childhood classic: The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter -- no matter what's happening in my life I'm almost always halfway through one of those series. I reread them incessantly.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

So far, the most amazing thing I've done was fly to Paris on a whim, by myself. It was my first time to Europe and I don't speak French (but I picked up enough so as not to be one of those annoying American tourists -- I THINK)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach anyone to cook at least one dish. I only make about 5 things but make them well! I'll teach you my great-grandmother's mac and cheese recipe or my own version of Chicken Tikka Masala!

I can teach you to crochet a scarf or granny squares to make a blanket.

As a career student, I'm excited to learn almost anything.

Chris is very modest, but there's a lot he can teach you. He is all about the in-depth intellectual conversations on practically any subject. He especially loves British politics.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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