ABOUT ME

PhD candidate in Rural Sociology & Women's Studies, mother, wife, problem-solver, adventurer.

I currently attend Penn State University full-time and I am working on my dissertation research. I will be a teaching assistant in Women's Studies during the 17-18 academic year. My research project focuses on rural women's experiences accessing maternal health care. My daily commute to school is about 3 hours round trip. Sometimes this feels like lost time that could be spent gardening or being with my family. But other times I appreciate the time alone with my thoughts. In addition to my graduate studies, I am also working toward fluency in Spanish.

When I am not doing schoolwork, I am perfecting a recipe, sewing, or starting a new project in the garden or in my house. People think I am an extrovert because I am social, but I assure them that I am an introvert who finds social settings to be exhausting and stressful - because I would rather have a meaningful one-on-one conversation than exchange surface-level pleasantries with a group of people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I enjoy meeting new people/helping people/traveling cheaply!

I am hoping to find cheap/free housing as I complete my research fieldwork in several areas of PA during summer 2018. Unfortunately, I was very ill for six+ months in 2017, so I was unable to apply for any funding for my research. I can't afford to wait another year so I'm trying to do it as cheaply as possible!

Interests

sewing.

Social justice.

• singing
• cooking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• camping
• sociology

Music, Movies, and Books

All kinds of music except most pop music and death metal. Some of my favorite musicians.... Jon Gomm, Goldfrapp, Thievery Corporation, Chris Isaak, Donna the Buffalo, Jim Lauderdale, Live, Bob Marley, Opeth.

I don't really get to read books for pleasure these days but I have read some great fiction in a couple of my classes, including My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki, Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi, and Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. My favorite book is The Inhabited Woman by Nicaraguan author Gioconda Belli.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Started a community organization to support women and their families with regard to issues of reproductive health. You can learn more about it here: www.cradlefamily.org

What I Can Share with Hosts

Open non-judgmental conversation, some of the finest snacks PA has to offer, dry humor, laughter, ideas to solve any problem, idealism.

Information about women's reproductive health!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Germany, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Nicaragua