Yep, you read it right. A girl with a boy's name. I used to hate it as a kid, but I've grown to enjoy the individuality I feel with it. Then, I went ahead and married someone with a gender ambiguous name--Leighton, so that's fun too!

Anyway, I've pretty much been traveling my whole life. I was in France until I was 2, in Africa until I was 9, then exotic Lakewood, NJ until I was 16, followed by Haiti for a year before college.

I studied music because it is such a part of who I am. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not great at any one aspect of it (not just being modest here), so when I failed my admission into performance, I ended up in education. I don't love classroom teaching, so that was a short-lived career.

I got married to my gender-ambiguously named husband, Leighton in 2010 and we started off our crazy adventure together by going to China to teach English. We did it for two years even though neither one of us LOVED teaching. We met some great people and had so much fun getting lost and FAILING with our Chinese.

We spent a year in the US where Leighton started his own business doing graphic design which has started off our non-teaching-related travels. I'm his assistant. I do the boring stuff because it allows us to travel, and then really enjoy the country we're living in by meeting people and experiencing every thing I possibly can!

Those are my life currencies--experiences and relationships. I think they go hand in hand.

Anyway, after China we lived in South Carolina, then Mexico, then Ecuador, and now we're in Chiang Mai planning to traipse our way around SE Asia.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've learned a few things in my limited time traveling.

1.) You can't just expect friendships to happen generically when you are traveling into and out of places quickly. It's one thing to have a job in a new place or to know someone who is already in that place you're going, but that's not how I'm traveling. Living in someone's home is a great way to meet new people. And let's face it, someone who is on this network is pretty likely to actually enjoy meeting and being with new people.
2.) The best way to get to know a place is through locals. Someday, I'll settle down and be able to host people in a place that I've established somewhere, and I'll actually be able to show them all the best places and experiences of what will be my home!
3.) Couchsurfing is fffrrrreeeeee! None of us are made of money, eh?!

Interests

Oh boy are these varied. I like adventuring stuff like bungee jumping and skydiving. Pretty much anything outdoors makes me happy. I've climbed to the base of the glacier on the Cotopaxi volcano, gone swimming with whale sharks, hiked in the lava tunnels in the Galapagos Islands.

I love music and singing and dancing. I can't claim to be a good dancer per se, but that never stops me from enjoying it!

Dressing up. Yes. I like to get fancy to dance or go out to a nice meal. But I also like renaissance fair type dressing up--and if I was a comic con type of person, I would so enjoy that.

Animals make me really happy. I have a hard time passing animals without making an attempt at "speaking their language" or trying to make friends. I pet strays and hate seeing them abused or mistreated.

If food could be a past-time, it would definitely be one of mine. I love to eat (and to cook). So much. My waist doesn't reflect it yet, though! I adore vegetables and peanuts and a good cup of coffee and have a really hard time passing up croissants and chocolate cake.

I enjoy watching TV especially when it means that I get to snuggle.

I'm fascinated by figuring out how things and people work--understanding what is actually going on during a sunset, thinking about the details of what goes on physiologically in the body to do a certain dance move or sing a certain way, understanding what motivates us to do what we do or make the decisions we make.

I may not have a lot of input on philosophical conversations about morality or science, but I enjoy thinking about those things, too, and am quite happy to be in the midst of brilliant minds quietly considering all of the differing points of view.

• animals
• pets
• singing
• performing arts
• design
• graphic design
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• coffee
• tv
• traveling
• cars
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• bungee jumping
• skydiving
• swimming
• business
• teaching
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm not a die hard fan of any one artist, and shame on you in you judge people for not liking your exact style of music ;). jk, jk. Judge if you must.

When it comes to music, I'm a sucker for harmonies. Harmonies first, a good beat second, and creativity/strangeness/differentness third. So, I really enjoy the harmonies in "Sleepless" by Cazzette, or "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap, or "Fat Bottom Girls" by Queen. I love the weird sounds that the BeeGees can make when they sing and the bubble-throated sound that Keisza makes in Hideaway. That being said, I can sing a mean-twangy "Rocky Top Tennessee" and I do all right with a mournful "Tears in Heaven."

Movies. hmmmmm. I like happy endings (don't go there) and good writing. I'm extremely empathetic, so if a movie is relationally tense, I might be affected by it. As TV shows, I've recently enjoyed Game of Thrones, Orange is the New Black, reruns of Friends, Mr. Robot. I hated "Birdman" though I might be able to reconsider if someone could give me a convincing argument as to why it was good. I didn't hate Jurassic World. I do like minions (even if they are mainstream). I love Disney movies (probably mostly because they're nostalgic) and can sing along with most of the songs. Unashamed.

I'm not a huge "sit down with a book and read for a long time" type of person because too many of my other senses go unused. I do, however, really like listening to audio books and walking/observing the world around me. I'm currently listening to a John Grisham book called "The Partner." Favorites? Nah. Not really.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

While there's nothing I can think of that beats the adrenaline rush of bungee jumping, the memories that I have that bring the MOST pleasure are the ones where I've done something to help someone--which sounds like I'm patting myself on the back. Great.

Although, I did sing a solo with an international choir in Ecuador, and that was pretty amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'd call myself a jack of all trades and master of none. But what I know, I'll share. I'll sing with you or experience with you or eat with you :). I can talk stories of my childhood in Africa--the baby cheetahs that we ALMOST got to keep, the coup of President Aristide in Haiti and the harrowing drive of our vehicles to a "safe" location. I can teach you a bit of guitar, a few words in Chinese. I'll cook an undignified but delicious vegetable-laden something or other. My husband and I can share how we live our digital nomad style--he's pretty techy! We're happy to learn or experience whatever you have to offer--and if that's just your friendship, that's ok by me!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'd call myself a jack of all trades and master of none. But what I know, I'll share. I'll sing with you or experience with you or eat with you :). I can talk stories of my childhood in Africa--the baby cheetahs that we ALMOST got to keep, the coup of President Aristide in Haiti and the harrowing drive of our vehicles to a "safe" location. I can teach you a bit of guitar, a few words in Chinese. I'll cook an undignified but delicious vegetable-laden something or other. My husband and I can share how we live our digital nomad style--he's pretty techy!

Countries I’ve Visited

Mali, Niger, Nigeria

Countries I’ve Lived In

Benin, China, Ecuador, France, Mexico, United States