Hi! I'm Ren, 23 years old, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I attended Washington University in St Louis to study film and media studies. I love photography, reading, and art museums. I'm very outdoorsy and I like hiking and nature. I also love to cook and explore the city!

Summer 2022, I solo traveled for three months across Europe, visiting 13 countries. I made so many new friends and was overwhelmed by the kindness of complete strangers, and I am seeking to return the favor.

I work and am currently school, so I am pretty busy. Ideal guests would go exploring on their own during the day and meet me to cook dinner or do something fun in the evenings.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR SURFERS:

- DO tell me what we have in common and why you want to stay with me!

- DO NOT request if you are just looking for a free place to stay - this website is for cultural exchange.

- DO NOT request longer than 3 nights!

- DO NOT request me if you have ZERO hosting/surfing references. (especially men) You MUST have more than one hosting/surfing reference for me to accept your request.

- DO NOT request months in advance. Ideal requests come about 1-2 weeks in advance of stay.

- DO NOT request last minute or the day before! I probably won't see it in time.

- DO plan to cook a meal with me! My favorite part of CS cooking together - if you want to plan your favorite recipe or something traditional to your culture and buy some ingredients (grocery store is 1 block from my house) I would love to learn. We have most common household ingredients. Or we could cook whatever I'm making together.

- YOU MUST LEAVE MY HOUSE DURING THE DAY. if you are a digital nomad, there are plenty of coffee shops nearby if you need to do work.

- DO like dogs! We have a medium sized dog who barks pretty loudly when people enter and leave. Her name is Teddy and she is absolutely the sweetest and will love you if you play with her or play fetch.

- LGBTQ/Queer friendly household. Discrimination/racism/transphobia is not tolerated. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

- I cannot promise that my house will be incredibly neat. It's a beautiful house but we are messy people 😅.

- We have a large backyard which we can hang out in.

-NO SMOKING/VAPING INSIDE THE HOUSE OR ON THE PROPERTY.

- If I have time, I can come explore with you and show you around the city.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I travel, I try to stay with friends, family, and strangers to experience life from a local perspective and avoid being a 'typical' tourist. I like to say yes to adventures and trying new things. Although the connections we make are often fleeting, there is something special about being a part of each other's stories for a short while and making an impact on each other's lives.

I hope to continue to travel in this way through couchsurfing, and also to be able to give back by hosting like-minded strangers when they come to LA.

Interests

• dogs
• writing
• books
• poetry
• modern art
• photography
• cooking
• board games
• reading
• tv
• pottery
• music
• live music
• jazz
• spoken word
• hiking
• camping
• rock climbing
• art history
• beaches
• art
• filmmaking
• films
• food
• cinema
• beach
• adventures
• theatre
• outdoors
• queer
• museums
• pop
• roller skating
• indie
• black and white photography
• pop culture
• shows
• lgbtq
• cooking together
• darkroom

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Largely fiction (Normal People by Sally Rooney, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami), sci-fi (Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card), fantasy (Kushiel's Dart by Jaqueline Carey, Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss), romance (Born in Fire by Nora Roberts), and paranormal romance (Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton), with a splash of memoirs (Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls) & poetry (2 Fish by Jhene Aiko)

TV: I watch a variety: sitcoms (Pen15, Parks and Rec), dramas (Heartbreak High, Russian Doll, Sherlock, Game of Thrones), kdramas (It's OK Not to be OK, My Love from Another Star), anime (Hunter x Hunter, Black Butler, Ouran High School Host Club), american animated shows (Big Mouth, Avatar the Last Airbender), and reality TV (Survivor, Blown Away, Love Island).

Music: Indie, pop, jazz, alt, r&b, a lil classic rock. I love being introduced to new genres

What I Can Share with Hosts

i love cooking a meal together!

American culture, film knowledge, book recommendations, friendly company.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States