CURRENT MISSION

To boldly go and leave the first Yelp! or TripAdvisor review

ABOUT ME

I'm a 22-year-old college graduate. I have a 200-hour TEFL/TESOL certificate, and I plan on using it to teach in Vietnam.

My profile will say that I'm logging in from some location in the United States. Don't worry, I'm actually in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam right now! I'm just using a proxy that gives me an American IP address so I can keep on watching Netflix. My best friend got me hooked on Orange Is the New Black the night before I left the US! She's so evil!

PHILOSOPHY

Do no harm and leave a good impression.

Life is sweet and sour, much like Sour Patch Kid gummies, which are the best things in the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm currently looking for people to host me and show me around HCMC. Once I get myself established there and have a permanent address, I'm going to pay it forward by getting verified and hosting people. Even if you can't host me, if you're in HCMC, I'd love to meet you and get to know you better!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

When I first started, I had no idea what to expect. I had a friend who backpacked through Europe on CS and had a positive experience, but I was very sheltered growing up and was skeptical of relying on complete strangers or inviting them into my home. However, actually meeting up with CSers after moving to Saigon has completely changed my perceptions.

Everyone I've met from CS has been wonderful and has made my experience in HCMC amazing. They've been so welcoming and helpful. Many of them live pretty far from where I'm currently staying, but still take the time out of their busy days to hang out with me.

Also, going to CS events in the area and meeting up with other CSers has led to me making friends with a lot of people who aren't on CS but still really cool nonetheless. I definitely owe my rich experience in HCMC to CS!

Interests

bicycling, walking, yoga, reading about gross things and diseases, and cooking, but more importantly, eating

• writing
• cooking
• yoga
• walking
• reading
• biology
• language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

I suspect that I have bad taste in movies, since I've loved some that have gotten awful reviews, like Guilt Trip. My favorite movie of all time is In the Mood for Love. Saving Face is the perfect rom-com/coming-of-age movie and I can quote most of Mean Girls by heart.

I read a lot of books that make me cry, not necessarily because they're sad. My favorite books still remain Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and Just-So Stories by Rudyard Kipling.

I like listening to music with blues and rock influences, country, folk, and bluegrass. Female vocalists with deep, rich, powerhouse voices preferred. Pop and dance music motivate me through stressful situations and workouts. Jazz is pleasant to listen to, but big band is superior, and I know a lot about and appreciate classical music because I used to play the piano and oboe.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I directed a production of The Vagina Monologues at the University of Pittsburgh, and raised over $3000 for V-Day and the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. I met a lot of incredible people, tested myself, and made a difference for an organization I really believe in.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a lot about biology and taking standardized tests.

If you want some help with the SAT Critical Reading and Writing sections or the the GRE Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing sections, I'd be happy to give you some study tips and go over example problems and essays with you. I scored above the 95th percentile in writing on both tests, and received full scores in reading on both tests.

I've also been doing yoga for a while, but could always learn more. I'm interested in practicing regularly and becoming more focused mentally and physically.

If you would like to do a language exchange, I would love to learn Vietnamese! I can teach you English and/or Mandarin Chinese in return.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States, Viet Nam