I recently moved to Burlington to start my master's degree in history at the University of Vermont after two years of teaching middle school in Colorado. Before that, I spent a few years traveling on and off, living first in Scotland, then China, then Germany.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've never stayed with someone that I met through the website, but I've had a number of good experiences staying with and meeting people from the couchsurfing community across the world. I'm interested in meeting new people, and once I'm a bit more settled, paying back some of the kindness I've received from strangers by offering my couch to travelers.

Interests

• literature
• singing
• photography
• dining
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• teaching
• history

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I stayed in a crummy teahouse near the summit of Emei Shan, a Buddhist holy mountain in central Sichuan province. I got up at 4 AM to hike the rest of the way up to the summit and see the sunrise at 6 AM. It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that I realized the temple I was standing next to was made of gold. Or at least some mixture of gold and other precious metals. It was spectacular.

Teach, Learn, Share

Most English nouns still have gender. We just no longer use the grammar that communicates it.

The stuff they keep in the jugs in the back of Chinese restaurants isn't tea.

Grover Cleveland initially rejected the annexation of Hawaii for humanitarian reasons. It took the Spanish-American War (and a douchebag of a president) to annex the island several years later.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Germany, United Kingdom, United States