ABOUT ME

My life so far: I was born and raised in southern California. It was great weather and a pleasant place to grow up, but I wanted to study anthropology and be a banana slug. So I ran away to college at UC Santa Cruz and became a banana slug. It was in Santa Cruz that I discovered I really loved China, so I ran away to China and joined a punk band. Turns out Beijing felt too crowded after 4 years there so I ran away to the remote desert of Death Valley and became a park ranger. There weren't many people in Death Valley, and I loved the change. But after a year there the 5% humidity was feeling a bit dry, so I decided to run away to Alaska to be a park ranger too. As it turns out, Alaskan winters are pretty rough, and also I missed Muay Thai, so I ran away to Thailand to train muaythai and write about it, which brings us up to now. I often run away back to the US for park rangering too.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have surfed a few times, and I would like to host. Unfortunately as of now I am on the road and cannot host as I don't have a real address, but I would love to be involved locally by meeting new visitors and hanging out!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

First experience: When my friend and I first moved to Nanjing in fall 2010, we didn't have an apartment, but she and I were hosted by an absolutely amazingly fun and generous and kind Chinese couple. They hosted us for a few days until we found our own place, and their kindness and hospitality made such a huge impression on me. They just had a son, and I'm so happy for them and for the rest of us, because the world needs more people like them!

Interests

The differences in the world, anthropology, history, sociology, banjo, hot rods, reading, Irish dance, Muay Thai, running up hills, the desert, studying Chinese and other languages, journaling, coyotes, spiders, trying to "live green," writing a lot of real letters, and trying to resist getting a cell phone as long as I can.

• writing
• dancing
• running
• reading
• anthropology
• history
• languages
• sociology
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

LOVE books. Constantly. All sorts.

Music: They Might Be Giants, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Allan Sherman, Wanda Jackson, Abigail Washburn. Punk. Appalachian string band. '50s rockabilly. '50s doo-wop. Old blues (Bessie Smith). Hip Hop. All things considered.

Movies: 12 Monkeys, Stay Tuned, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Chipmunk Adventure (1987), My Cousin Vinny, What About Bob?, City Slickers, Disorderlies, Ghostbusters 2, Groundhog Day, Vegas Vacation.

Celebrity dream date: "Weird" Al Yankovic.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I can't believe I actually learned to play an instrument (banjo). Still working on it, though. I am looking to play more. Also, learning Chinese as an adult, that was pretty exciting.

I really love it when I cry in museums because the world is just SO BIG! List of museums in which I've cried so far: Statue of Liberty, Manzanar, Ellis Island, and the Smithsonian exhibit on Alaska Natives at the Anchorage Museum.

Teach, Learn, Share

1. Stop killing spiders! They are good arachnids, and eat the more pesky bugs.
2. There are better ways of dealing with coyotes in your area than killing them. Look up "hazing."
3. Switch to cloth kitchen towels for kitchen stuff and cloth handkerchiefs for blowing your nose. You wouldn't believe how much paper you'll save. My old worn out T-shirts make great handkerchiefs! And they're nicer on your delicate nose skin.
4. Switch to honey as facewash. It is amazing. Use straight-up honey, rub it on dry face, then rinse with warm water. Follow with jojoba oil for moisturizer. Your skin is an organ and absorbs a huge amount of what you put on it. You know what they say, don't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat.

And I'm always up for good conversation! I love learning and I love hearing people's experiences and opinions.