CURRENT MISSION

To see as much of New Zealand life as I can in 6 months

ABOUT ME

I'm a 23 wannabe wanderer from Newfoundland, Canada, an island that's slowly integrated cultural influences from the rest of the country and the world, but still hands pretty tight to the cool features of an isolated world in the North Atlantic. I love that world, but I know that there's so much else to see - I travelled throughout Europe last fall, and am excited to get to the antipodes this winter, bringing something of myself to the other side of the globe, and hopefully taking a heightened perspective back with me.

I love skiing and the outdoors, music, writing (occasionally about music), and am embarking with the goal to do something brand new every day. See you there!

PHILOSOPHY

I know too many people who spend half their time talking about all the wild dreams they have safeguarded for "someday," and the other half of the time regretting the things they didn't do. We all know that life is short the best of times, and unpredictable to boot - you really just have to take a chance and have an adventure. Travel is something that will tear you in two at times (you have to leave so much behind while gaining new perspectives) but if you can find a holistic balance, you're going to be so much better for it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

All I know about CS is through friends who have done it (and had a really awesome time) - very excited to give it a try!

Interests

I play guitar, but when I figured out that I wasn't going to be a rock star, I became a local entertainment writer for TheIndependent.ca. Outside of that, I love a good book and a cup of tea, a hike on a sunny day, a ski on a snowy day, and being around good people.

• writing
• books
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• skiing
• emergency services
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm an English major because a thoughtful teacher gave me The Hobbit when I was in grade six. That made the natural segue to Lord of the Rings and eventually a Song of Ice and Fire, but if I were on a desert island I'd also have to bring The Sun Also Rises, Neuromancer, A Clockwork Orange, and a ragged Stephen King paperback for fun.

I grew up on Newfoundland traditional music - Great Big Sea, the Irish Descendants, the Fables - and anything that fuses accordions and fiddles to contemporary pop themes gets my stamp of approval. Hey Rosetta! is the best indie band you've never heard of, Jeremy Fisher an underrated songwriter, and if you crank on the 80s glam rock, I know most of the words to any Bon Jovi song.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the fall of 2011, I went with four other friends to Spain for a week, and ended up in Cabo de Gata on the southern coast. That time of the year was balmy for a crew of Newfoundlanders, but chilly for the Spaniards, so the beach was ours. As the sun set, myself and another friend tried to walk along the beach to get to some hills we saw in the distance. They were much farther than we thought, our friends assumed we were in trouble and they would have to go to the police with a Spanish-English dictionary, and after failing to hitchhike back, we barely made the last bus out of the desert. And it a night that made me re-evaluate everything about my place on this earth, the best evening of my life - so far.

Countries I’ve Visited

France, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom