I'm teaching English in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture in Japan as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) through the JET program. This is my first full-time job after graduating college, but it's not my first time living in Japan. I lived near Osaka for one year as a study abroad student. I majored in Japanese and minored in English (Creative Writing), but I had friends in most academic fields, from biology majors to psychology majors to art majors, so I enjoy discussing a fairly wide array of subjects.

I'm a fan of open-mindedness and I appreciate people who are interested in cultural exchange. I'm a pretty easy-going personality type, and I like discussing psychology or books. I'm also INTJ according to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I studied abroad in Japan, I was a very poor student, so now that I have an income, I would really love to push myself to travel a lot more than I was able to previously. But I still don't want to spend all my money on a hotel. :)

The Couchsurfing method is, in my opinion, a great way to get the most out of your travels without emptying your pockets on a room, especially if it's for a relatively short stay. It's also a great way to get your foot in the door with some locals, which can be a relief to many. Growing up, my family always welcomed people into our home to stay as long as they liked, and I enjoyed having that kind of warm atmosphere, and it allowed me to meet so many different kinds of people.

Interests

• music
• live music
• psychology
• rock
• metal
• cultural exchange
• japanese culture
• classic rock
• dramas
• kdrama
• jdrama

Music, Movies, and Books

For me, music is the universal language, and I love getting recommendations on new music from people. I want to make my music repertoire more and more diverse as I go. I'm into Japanese visual kei(such as D'espairsray) and K-pop(BTS, for example), 80s bands (Queen), The Cure, Nightwish, Flyleaf, Breaking Benjamin, various musicals, etc. And I've been trying to push back further, looking into classic artists like Buddy Holly, B.B. King, The Bee Gees, etc.

I don't really have 'favorites' for things like movies and books. But l always enjoy a good reread of The Hobbit, and recently I'm reading Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" and Hermann Hesse's "Demian."

I'm slowly working my way through "classic fiction," just as "Call of Cthulhu," "Crime and Punishment," "Portrait of Dorian Gray," "Frankenstein," etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I helped inspire my mother to go back to college, which was something she's always wanted to do. She entered the same university as me during my second year, and she let me host weekly casual parties at our family home every week for the international and U.S. students to meet up, and we called them 'Friday Night Dinners.' We had an average of about 20 people each week come to our home, make American meals, share language, culture, and games, and it lasted about 2 1/2 beautiful years. It helped me make friends world wide, and gave my mother the drive to study abroad in China for 2 weeks, as well. Both of us hope to travel more and continue to meet more people from all over. :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I was homeschooled up until I entered college, along with my four siblings, so I think that's given a pretty unique perspective on a lot of things. Homeschooling carries with it a lot of connotation, and isn't common in many parts of the world, so it brings up interesting discussions.

Also, as an American, I really want to talk to other people and discover things about my own culture that I didn't realize other cultures had. A sort of self-awareness through others, if you will. In learning about others, I learn more about myself, and the same goes for my conversation partner.

Countries I’ve Visited

Japan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States