I'm a recovering shy kid and occasional misanthrope, but I force myself to get outside my comfort zone because I love to travel and have been fortunate to meet some truly amazing humans on this journey. I quit my corporate job to do a year abroad as a Peace Corps Response volunteer in South Africa. At my age, I don't harbor any fantasies about trying to save the world. Rather, I wanted to see if my skillset was useful in something other than a corporate context (turns out it was, but not in the ways I expected).

I am an unapologetic epicurean, in all senses of the word. Despite my parents' best efforts and the stunningly beautiful natural surroundings of my childhood in the Pacific Northwest, I am not an outdoorsy person, unless the outdoors happens to include a beach (tropical, rugged, everything in between). That said, when I travel, I do try to see as much of the area as possible, so occasionally I get roped into hiking. :) I love culinary adventures as much as any other adventure, and I can make myself at home in everything from a dive bar to a Michelin-starred restaurant as long as the food and drink are good.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm currently a volunteer in South Africa (read: cash poor, but wealthy in experience). This site came highly recommended by friends as a frugal option for travel, so here I am.

Interests

• books
• design
• graphic design
• education
• cooking
• wine
• traveling
• whitewater rafting
• volunteering
• solo travel
• beaches
• typography
• philosophical conversations

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I like to be exposed to new music, but my default is 90s-era grunge and punk/pop (I spent my formative years in Seattle, and it's stuck with me).

Movies: I don't watch a lot of movies, except when I end up on overseas flights, but a couple of my favorites are Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Swing Kids, American History X, SLC Punk, Crash, Halloween (the original), Rocky Horror Picture Show, Little Miss Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite. When I'm living in a city, I like to indulge in random documentaries and independent arthouse films as well.

Books: Books are my thing. I read a decent amount, particularly now that I have lots of free time in the middle of Africa. I was also an English major at one point in my life, so... There are too many to pick a favorite, but here is a sampling. All time favorites: The Three Musketeers (Dumas), The Stranger (Camus), A Prayer For Owen Meany (Irving). Recent favorites: The Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver), Blitzed, Drugs in Nazi Germany (Ohler), The Valley of Amazement (Tan).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One experience that comes to mind was a particularly humid day I spent outside of Chaing Mai, Thailand, hanging out with a bunch of beautifully flawed elephants at an elephant sanctuary. I like animals, but wouldn't consider myself an animal lover. Originally I wanted to ride the elephants, but my friends convinced me that was inhumane, so we found a different way to interact with them and it's still one of my fondest memories. Hanging out with these elephants and helping to feed and bathe them, learning their stories, and seeing the expressions in their eyes--it was truly an amazing experience.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have mad cooking skills (I am always happy to cook for those who appreciate good food. I am also quite willing to be a sous chef or prep chef and chop, dice, etc.). My dishwashing skills may leave a bit to be desired, but hand me a towel, and I'm happy to dry. On occasion, I can provide entertaining anecdotes or random insights on a variety of topics. I've worked in the software industry for many years, so while I'm not a programmer by any stretch of the imagination, I speak geek and dabble in web (mostly WordPress these days) and graphic design, so I might be able to provide technical or design assistance if needed. ;)