CURRENT MISSION

Learning to live, living to learn

ABOUT ME

We got married in 2006, after I graduated from college, and moved out here to the Bay Area. He's in grad school studying mechanical engineering, and I'm working right now and attending grad school for English Lit. Pete's from Montana, I'm from Philadelphia, we went to school in Texas, and somehow ended up married and in the Silicon Valley. Who could have ever predicted?

PHILOSOPHY

"For in truth great love is born of great knowledge of the thing loved."
-Leonardo da Vinci

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My husband and I have a couch which we like to offer to anyone who visits the area. I think hospitality is a hugely important way of transforming our world and culture. We also love traveling ourselves, but we're always on a limited budget, so couchsurfing could certainly come in handy.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We've had a few great experiences with people staying with us, but have yet to couchsurf ourselves.

Interests

Traveling, having people over to our apartment, exploring the amazingly diverse Bay Area, California weather, making friends, reading literature, hiking (Pete loves backpacking, but I'm not there yet:), cooking (at least I do--Pete's still working on that one), trying new things,...

• culture
• books
• literature
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• backpacking
• engineering

Music, Movies, and Books

Charissa: This is a rough question for an English major...I'll go for favorite authors. CS Lewis, Flannery O'Connor, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, Edith Wharton, PG Wodehouse, John Steinbeck, Charles Dickens, John Piper, Gary Thomas, EM Forrester...and I must admit that I have been sucked into the Harry Potter craze (after resisting for at least four years). As for movies, I go for almost anything that compels me to contemplation and doesn't make me cringe too much.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once saw a dead armadillo on the side of the road with all four feet sticking straight up and a beer bottle sticking out of its mouth. Unbelievable.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love cooking and all things food-related. I also love books. So bring some food and books or enjoy mine!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Philippines, United States