⚡️I believe the world to be a big but connected, scary but impressive, heartbreaking but inspiring place.

🌎 I’m an American lady living in Amsterdam (since March 2018) and I travel a lot for my job and for fun. Career-wise, my passion is technology applied to international development challenges. My current work in global health has given me the opportunity to travel to some beautiful countries perhaps slightly further off the beaten path. I try to remain grateful and thoughtful with every opportunity! I am also not afraid to laugh at myself and recognize imperfection.

🎨 Outside of work I also try to cultivate my creative side and really enjoy doing craft projects, visiting museums, making (sometimes shitty) art at home, reading about design, and singing in the shower.

👋🏻 I don’t have any references yet, but I am looking to grow my Couchsurfing experience and community. Since I recently moved to a new city I am interested in becoming more involved in hosting and staying with fellow world travelers.

🌲 Back in the US I call Seattle home, but I have also lived/grown up in a handful of different places across the country (San Diego, Honolulu, Boston, Boulder) and in the world (Naples, Geneva, Buenos Aires). One connecting thread for my different locales is that they have all been near water (minus a year in beautiful, dry Colorado), so I feel most at peace on a beach or harbor or lake shore.

🌈 I enjoy nature and being outside but also have a deep appreciation for architecture, street art, next-door neighbors, and the other things that make cities so compelling.

🧀 Perhaps most importantly, I believe that 98% percent of meals are made better with the addition of feta cheese.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Meet nice people in their unique and diverse parts of the world, cultivate a more international community, learn from fellow humans, and work to enrich the life experience in general!

I have couchsurfed before with a partner, but we used their account instead. So I don’t have any references on CS yet but I have used AirBnB and I am happy to share my profile there so you can see how hosts reviewed me as a guest.

Interests

I like exploring the city by bicycle on the weekends and getting beer with friends. Currently in my free time I’m taking a letterpress printing and design class and I also have been doing some embroidery. A few years ago I was a competitive rower but now I am more interested in being under the water doing scuba!

• singing
• design
• graphic design
• cheese
• walking
• boating
• technology
• movies
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• canoeing
• camping
• soccer
• rowing
• science
• beaches
• nature
• craft beer
• queer
• typography
• beach volleyball
• card games
• weightlifting
• embroidery
• crafting
• international food
• local cuisine

Music, Movies, and Books

🎵 Lately I’ve been listening to a mix of indie rock (Wye Oak), hip hop (Kendrick Lamar), and Americana folk (First Aid Kit). Not all at the same time though. I enjoy talking with people about why they are passionate about a certain artist/style/song and I a fun beat to dance to is always welcome.

On the dance floor (or beach, or barn, or wherever the music is playing) I get most excited by salsa/Latin, afrobeat, Jamaican dancehall, and good-old-fashioned funk! 🕺

Favorite movies: The Fifth Element, Gladiator, Arrival, Some Like It Hot, Metropolis, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Books: Jitterbug Perfume, Pride and Prejudice, The Old Man and the Sea

Articles: I really enjoy learning about new scientific findings and really appreciate science writing by creative/poetic authors. I

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Watched a honey badger raid my safari campsite in Botswana. I didn’t challenge it because, you know, I’ve seen the YouTube videos of what those guys can do. 🐾
- Cycled 202 mi (325 km) in two days from Seattle to Portland on the west coast of the US
- Solo traveled in Pakistan
- Went underwater in a nuclear submarine
- Taught friends in Buenos Aires how to make snow angels after it snowed there for the first time in 90 years
- Saw the Milky Way for my first time ever near Cuzco, Peru ✨
- Froze my eyelashes at the Great Wall of China
- Spotted a sloth hanging out on a telephone wire in Costa Rica ( he was fine)
- Watched the sunset from a beach in Lagos, Nigeria
- Stomached 6 bites of stinky durian fruit in Tanzania before I gave up

Teach, Learn, Share

🚣‍♀️ On the water I love teaching people to row and canoe.

If we are inside on a rainy day I’ll share my deck of cards and teach you how to play my favorite card game, cribbage.

I feel like most activities are best with a buddy, and I am always keen to learn something new together.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have a sometimes-impressive arsenal of trivial facts and a penchant for groan-worthy puns. I have also been told that I make excellent burritos. 🌯 I am an open person who puts a high value on interpersonal relationships.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Zambia

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, United States