CURRENT MISSION

To put a story and a face behind the places I travel, and to offer others the same opportunity.

ABOUT ME

I'm a recent college graduate from the midwestern United States and right now I'm in the middle of a 7-month English teaching program in central France. I'll be starting my doctorate in cultural anthropology next autumn in Buffalo, New York (where I plan on eventually hosting).

I really feel like I've found my home in anthropology. People always ask me, "what exactly IS anthropology?" to which I respond that it's all about trying to look at people and social issues "in the middle"; that is, finding how all perspectives on the issue can work together simultaneously and contribute to a resolution. Really trying to see things from each point of view and considering all perspectives to be equally right. To me, no one is truly wrong in their beliefs. Which is partly why I'm quite terrible at arguments--I usually find myself acknowledging the value in all opinions. Good thing I'm not going into politics (though I think politics could use some of this kind of thinking). Now, when people ask me, "so what kind of job are you going to get in anthropology with your degree??" I reply...well, I still have a few years to figure that part out!

Some things I love (besides traveling):

I love people. I love going out in town and just watching people pass by sometimes. Maybe that's creepy, but I think we're pretty interesting. It's part of why I love traveling so much.

I love animals. I have a dog and a hamster (Mickey and Jake) at home, both of whom I miss dearly. I don't think animals are less intelligent; I just think they are intelligent in different ways from humans. Scratching my dog's belly is one of the most gratifying things in the world for me.

I love food. Cooking it, eating it, talking about it, hearing people talk about it, whatever. I hope to eventually have the world's largest collection of menus from all over the world. I currently have 4.

I love collecting. I keep things. Everything. Every plane, train, and bus ticket from all my trips. Every travel brochure and map I get, especially ones I use.

I will keep adding to this list as I think of things.

I traveled quite a bit throughout Europe a couple years ago, which is when I really fell in love with traveling and all the excitement and even the not-so-glorious things that come with it. However, I've never used CS. I've used hotels, hostels and airbnb, and while all that is nice and all, I'm really looking to get a more unique and personal experience this time around.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Never have before. I was thinking about it the last time I was in Europe a couple years ago (and even made a profile then), but never got around to making the connections. This time I'm ready for a different kind of adventure.

As for hosting:
Although I am not hosting right now, I plan to start once I actually get settled and get my own place in the U.S. Right now I live in France in a youth dorm building and I sleep on a glorified cot...but just until May! I think Couchsurfing is a truly incredible opportunity for hosts and surfers. It can offer you so much more than any hotel/hostel ever could. I'm excited to eventually offer others the same opportunity.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None yet, but I've heard great things.

Interests

Music (I play the piano, guitar and saxophone); concerts (or just watching people play instruments); cultural anthropology and archaeology; world religions; animals; coffee; FOOD ; every kind of beer and wine; the cheesiest of touristy activities; ghost stories and urban legends; deep conversations; cooking; baking desserts, then eating them all by myself; beaches; watching sunrises and sunsets on rooftops; letter-writing; snow; driving; teaching and learning; film; hearing people talk about things that interest them-seeing someone light up talking about something (anything) makes me happy; exchanging ideas; and the list grows every day.

• animals
• dogs
• arts
• culture
• writing
• performing arts
• concerts
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• coffee
• desserts
• baking
• walking
• politics
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• piano
• anthropology
• history
• religion
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I really love movies. All movies. Just film in general, really.

I also love music. Every kind. I don't say that because I'm lazy/indecisive. I just love the way music connects us to each other. Music is such an important part of every culture, and depending on the context it can be such a bonding experience with anyone, even complete strangers. Nothing brings people together quite like music. It's a portal to another perspective, as long as you listen the right way.

I unfortunately don't read nearly as much as I'd like to. I do have a huge book full of short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald that I'm close to finishing, and I genuinely tried really hard to finish War & Peace over the summer. I think I'm finding that non-fiction is more my thing. If you want to read something that will change your mind, try reading The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby. It's mind-blowing.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is kind of a long story, but the coolest moment I've had recently was in mid-December 2015. A few days before, I'd been trying to teach the song "Frosty the Snowman" to all the classes at one of my schools. It was proving to be really hard, because there are a TON of words in that song--many of them hard for non-native English speakers to pronounce--and it goes really fast. They were preparing for a Christmas concert in just a few days, and they thought I could help the kids--all 70-80 of them at the same time--with pronunciation. The rest of the songs were in French, but they wanted to do one in English. Why they chose "Frosty," I'll never know. I ended up going into each class and meeting with the teachers throughout the day to go over the lyrics, but at the end of the day none of the groups seemed to get it. The teachers were talking about just cutting the song from the concert.

Well, I ended up attending the concert that Friday, and, just as I was thinking they'd decided not to perform Frosty, I heard that famous intro start up on the sound system, and the kids--from age 3 to age 10--sang every word of the song almost perfectly all the way through to the end. The smiles on their faces brought me to tears of joy--they were so proud of themselves. All the teachers came up to me at the end and thanked me for helping them and the kids with the lyrics. It was so amazing for me to see these kids so excited about performing a song in English--something I'd helped them do.

Teach, Learn, Share

From my (minimal) experience traveling, I really think it's best to go somewhere not expecting anything. I'm not saying you shouldn't plan anything at all before visiting a new city, and of course it's only human to have expectations. You should have a general structure of what you want to do while you're there, but do plan loosely, even if you don't have a lot of time there. The best part about exploring a new city (for me at least) is just that, "exploring," in every way possible. Art museums and exhibitions are great, but I've found that they don't speak to me a lot about the city itself. I do love a good museum, but while traveling, I like to spend the majority of my time just walking around, soaking in the history and culture of the place. I personally have a much better time when you don't plan out every minute of your trip. Do touristy things and all that, but don't stress about getting in every single cathedral or museum. Just relax and try to get a feel for where you are in the world. However, if you're always super organized or an avid museum-and-monument-goer, maybe that's not the best advice. Just my own two cents.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I really want to stress the fact that I'm not interested in CS because of the free accommodation it offers. While that is a bonus, I'm really looking to get an inside perspective of wherever I go. I want to meet people and share stories and get a glimpse of what it's like to be a local there. So I guess what I can share with you is my personal interest in being there--not just the opportunity to use your home as a free place to stay.

And of course, I'm a pretty respectful person. I'd feel uncomfortable leaving a mess anywhere outside of my own home, and I do my absolute best to keep things (and myself) clean. Although I think those things should go without saying here.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States