Hey Hey!

I'm a recent expat and recent grad now living in France. I'm originally from Wisconsin, in the US, but lived in Boston most recently. Now that I'm in Europe, I'm excited to travel and learn as much as I can!

I'm creative, curious, and flexible. I work hard and I play hard, but I'm an introvert, so "playing hard" does not include clubbing, large gatherings, or heavy drinking. For me, the ideal day is spent laughing with close friends over a meal you've cooked together. Maybe there's a book thrown in there, or maybe it's a picnic and we go hiking and make sketches along the way. I love what I do and I feel incredibly privileged to be able to make a career in the arts, but it's demanding. When I have time to spare, I make the most of it.

Je suis une américaine qui travaille cette année en France comme assistante de langue. Je viens originalement de Wisconsin, mais j'ai habité pour les trois derniers années à Boston. Franchement, je suis introvertie, donc je n'aime pas trop des grandes fêtes; je préfère avoir de la conversation et partager un repas. Je suis créative, curieuse et flexible. J'adore voyager et rencontrer des gens d'autres pays et cultures. Pendant que je suis en France, j'ai l'intention de bien profiter de l'occasion pour voyager afin que je peux mieux comprendre l'histoire et les cultures de l'Europe.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love in couchsurfing because I love to make great one-on-one or small-group connections with new people around the world. I've had a couple of great couchsurfing experiences so far that have helped me learn much more about the local culture than I otherwise would have. It's the best way to travel!

I am not currently able to host couchsurfers because I am living in school-owned housing here in France, but in the future, I hope to open my home to couchsurfers and others, and to be as welcoming to them as my new friends have been to me.

J'ai déjà eu quelques experiences de couchsurfing vraiment sympa où j'ai appris beaucoup plus de la culture que j'aurais appris sans les avoir! Quand je voyage, je veux bien comprendre tous ce que je peux de la vrai culture du pays et pas devenir seulement touriste aux musées et tout ça. Je ne peux pas accueillir des couchsurfers chez moi à l'instant car j'habite dans un appartement du lycée dans lequel je travaille ici en France. Mais au futur, je voudrais bien les accueillir.

Interests

Literature, new cultures, theatre, painting, absurdism, feminism, yoga, costumes and cosplay, writing, travel, teaching, nonwestern and postcolonial narratives, nature, French, Spanish, Quenya, intersectionality, drawing, poetry, fantasy, science fiction, Tolkien, embroidery, cooking, baking, body positivity, Irish culture, alphabetizing, color coding, list making, goal setting, miscellaneous organizing, running, Dungeons and Dragons, active listening, self care, community care, cats.

la litterature, les cultures, le théâtre, la peinture, l'absurdisme, le féminisme, le yoga, la conception de costumes, cosplay, l'écriture, voyager, enseigner, des histoires non occidentale et postcoloniale, la nature, le français, l'espagnol, le quenya, l'intersectionnalité d'activisme, le dessin, la poésie, la fantasie, le scifi, Tolkien, la broderie, cuisiner, la culture irlandaise, organizer, faire des listes, créer des buts, courir, des chats.

• cats
• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• coloring
• dining
• cooking
• picnic
• baking
• yoga
• running
• drinking
• crafts
• politics
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• hiking
• nature

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: I love fantasy and scifi, magical realism, women authors, postcolonial and nonwestern narratives, and prose that stuns. For instance: JRRTolkien, Margaret Atwood, Louise Gluck, Jeanette Winterson, Octavia Butler, Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Movies: I prefer TV to film, because it is the Golden Age of television after all, but I enjoy scifi/fantasy, costume dramas, your funnier romcoms, your well-developed action movie, independent films and foreign films.

TV: Doctor Who, Gilmore Girls, Game of Thrones, Parenthood, The Good Wife; which is to say strong writing, character-driven drama, and imagination.

Music: Folk, indie rock, alternative, some of what's on the charts, and whatever you want to introduce me to! My favs are The Strokes and Dar Williams.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I moved to France!

I currently live in Angoulême, where I teach English and pursue my artistic careers on the side. Living in Europe has been a dream for me since I was a child, so I'm proud to have finally achieved it in a way that was both practical and interesting for me.

But since that's probably par for the course around here, I can also recite all the words to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire".

J'ai déménagé à Angoulême! Mais vraiment, c'était une de mes rêves les plus vieilles, et je suis tellement contente de l'avoir accompli!

Teach, Learn, Share

I do a lot of arts and crafts, so if you're a crafter in any way, I'd love to learn from you. I also like to cook and bake, so let's make something from each of our respective traditions together! I love to learn about new cultures directly from the people living in them, so please share your insights and stories!

Et, si vous parlez français, je veux bien le practiquer avec vous.

What I Can Share with Hosts

As mentioned above, I love the arts, and I'm happy to share any of them! But what I usually end up sharing with my hosts is food and conversation. I think preparing and enjoying a meal together is one of the easiest and most fun ways to get to know each other. I'm a pretty frank person and a very critical thinker, so I have a lot of thoughts about the USA and cultures around the world that I'm happy to share. I'm passionate about what I believe, I'm addicted to learning, and I love a good debate.

J'adore cuisinier et discuter avec mes hôtes. Je suis une fille franche et passionnée, donc je veux bien partager avec vous ce que j'ai appris des Etats-Unis, des autres cultures, de n'importe quel sujet, et je veux bien apprendre ce que vous voulez partager!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States