CURRENT MISSION

TO SEE AS MUCH AS I CAN!

ABOUT ME

Friendly, adventurous, southern at heart, and open to new experiences.

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is based off the idea that everyone has wonderful and meaningful things to teach each other. I believe people are fascinating creatures with the immense capacity to do great things if they try hard enough. But most importantly is my position in life as an Earth steward to give back to the world in a way that I can help as much as I can. I choose to live a life by simple means and in a way that is to help nature and animals in any way that I can.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Starting at the end of July/beginning of August 2013 I will be buying a ticket to Panama to wander around Central America for a few months. In this time I will be helping some friends from college on a Cacao farm on Isla Pastores in the Bocas de Toro region developing a sustainable living/education center and cultivating my farming skills all the while giving back to the Earth and living simply :)I would like to spend a few days in Panama City meeting some people, establishing connections and doing a bit of exploring :)

***I do not speak fluent Spanish but there are two fluent Spanish speakers on Isla Pastores!***

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have never really couch surfed before but am open and ready for new experiences!

Interests

Reading, hiking, collecting weird junk, going to music festivals, and traveling as often and as far as I can.

• animals
• wildlife
• music festivals
• festivals
• education
• environment
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• earth science
• ecology
• teaching
• history
• science
• study abroad
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: This could be a very long list... anything by Jared Diamond specifically "Collapse" and "Guns, Germs, and Steel" lots of Carl Sagan "Pale Blue Dot" anything by Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Vandana Shiva...the list goes on.

Music: I am from the South and although have much respect for country...pop country is not my thing. I do however love all the bands from my local Nashville scene as well as the more popular choices. The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr., Radiohead, Massive Attack, Beirut... classics such as Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Lou Reed.

Movies: So, so many. My favorite as a kid was Terminator 2. I also really love documentaries such as Waste Land and The Cove.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the Peten region of Guatemala I stayed with a study abroad group for a few days at a Cooperative called Nuevo Horizonte. The purpose of our stay was to educate ourselves about solidarity tourism and the lives of those living as ex-guerrillas from the civil war as well as indigenous peoples struggles. The people who organize this community have been through and seen so much and managed to create a life for themselves and many school children of educating tourists about overcoming war and violence in their history. I was very moved by these people when I was there and consider it to be a life changing moment.

Teach, Learn, Share

As far as things I can teach or share...I come from a Earth Science background and have spent a large amount of my schooling focusing on sustainability, climate change, and wildlife conservation education. I hope to work in a wildlife refuge one day and give back to the creatures whose populations and habitats are being lost. This is why I am going to work on a Cacao farm on Isla Pastores in order to understand the ecology of the tropical environment and learn how I can help.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States