CURRENT MISSION

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

ABOUT ME

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

PHILOSOPHY

Song of the Open Road
By Walt Whitman

"Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

visited 25 states (50%)Create your own visited map of The United States or Like this? try: Ant Arena

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed in New Zealand for two weeks and had the most amazing experience of my life!

Interests

Extreme sports, travelling, and deep thinking

• culture
• books
• running
• traveling
• sports
• extreme sports
• study abroad
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Well, I think Top 5 is a good start...don't want to be here all day. :)

Books:
1. Walden
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. On the Road
4. Night
5. Lord of the Flies

Movies
1. Contact
2. Forrest Gump
3. Signs
4. Into the Wild
5. Cast Away

Music...
Not even going to try to tackle this one. Too many to choose from.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I had always wanted to visit Australia and after I heard about the bushfires, drought, floods, and cyclone, I figured it was about time I take a trip down under while there was still a country left to visit. Leaving Wisconsin (located in the United States Midwest) was a relatively painless process. Before my flight it was a chilly -29C with a meter of snow on the ground. Picture living in a snow globe for five months—that’s Wisconsin and that’s why it was so easy to leave.
Traveling is something I had wanted to do for some time so I’m glad I took advantage of a study abroad program. Many of my travel opportunities were cut short when I was younger by a lack of family vacations. I think it had to do with money; however, it could very well have been that no one (including myself) wanted to be locked in a confined space with my family.
Until my visit to Australia, my view of the country has basically consisted of what I have gathered from outside sources while growing up—outside sources usually being whatever was on television at the time. I think it was Steve Irwin, the informal ambassador from Australia (R.I.P), who first exposed me to the Australian culture. As you can imagine, it was a little disappointing to find out that not everyone from Australia randomly blurted out “Crikey!” and wrestled twelve-foot long crocodiles. Also, when I first arrived in Australia, I assumed that everything was poisonous or wanted to eat me for lunch. Luckily, my anxiety was eased when I found out La Trobe was relatively safe—that is except for the duck syphilis, drop bears, and syringes on St. Kilda beach.
All things considered my stay so far has been very pleasant. Australia is a beautiful (warm) country and the people here are generally friendlier and more relaxed. However, I have had my fair share of good and bad experiences thus far. Good=bushwalking the Cathedral Range. Bad=attempting to dress for Melbourne weather. Good=seeing a kangaroo on a run. Bad= Cockatoos waking me up every morning. Good=Tim tams. Bad=Vegemite (apparently it’s an acquired taste I have yet to acquire). In brief, my study abroad has already been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and if you ever get the chance to study in another country I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, United States