I spent the last four years living in Japan working at an eikaiwa near Tokyo. I am currently a student at the University of Barcelona, working on my MA in Applied Linguistics.

I'm something of an old lady living in a younger man's body. I like going to classical concerts and art museums, having a bit of wine with brunch, reading a good book in a park or cafe, the things that appeal to a quiet, slow epicure. I also enjoy playing and writing music, though traveling with discount airliners has made it impossible to travel with any of my usual instruments. I like to doodle too, which has proven more convenient for the kind of travel I'm doing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, tastes, and points of view. I like doing touristy things, but most of the time I'd rather experience the daily life like a local.

Music, Movies, and Books

I've been trying to study Spanish more, so I've been trying to read some of my favorite Spanish language authors in the original recently, especially Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges, and Roberto Bolaño. I'm also a huge fan of Italo Calvino. I like a lot of Japanese authors who have a similar magical realist approach to writing too, especially Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, and Hiromi Kawagami, as well as some manga artists like Taiyou Matsumoto, Daisuke Igarashi, and Panpanya.

I listen to a lot of indie music and jazz in my down time, like Andrew Bird, Joanna Newsom, and Bill Evans, but for concerts I tend to go for pretty much anything classical. I'm not that knowledgeable about classical music, but I enjoy the experience of concerts. Probably my favorite I've been to was Smetana's "Ma Vlast," which just lush and gorgeous.

I like movies and will watch just about anything if it's in a theater. I try to seek out independent movies. Recently I'm a huge fan of the studio A24 which made The Witch, The Lighthouse, and Midsommer.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of the most amazing experiences I've had was at Naoshima, a small island in the Seto inland sea in Japan, with a friend who was visiting from Germany. The place is a tourist destination among art lovers, but when we went there it was rainy, from drizzling to pouring, throughout the day, so it was easy to avoid people. The buses are free, but sporadic, so we mostly walked around the island. There are sculptures to be found all over the island, hidden in the natural forests. We didn't bother to get maps or guides, so the sculptures were always a pleasant surprise. When you stumble across one, it doesn't feel artificial, it feels like it just grew there in the forest. Or like a ruin from some ancient and forgotten civilization. Just walking around that island in the rain and experiencing art that seems a natural phenomenon was a beautiful experience. Then taking the ferry back to the mainland, drinking cheap whiskey and coffee, and watching the rain fall over the sea was the perfect bookend.

Countries I’ve Visited

England, France, Japan, Romania, South Korea, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Japan, Spain