CURRENT MISSION

To travel the world and find what it is I am most passionate about. In an attempt to find my own story, I want to hear everyone else's. Check out my travel blog at youthtothemoon.com!

ABOUT ME

Moved to Greenville, NC currently getting my Masters degree in Archaeology.

PHILOSOPHY

Differences are what make us special to each other. If I have learned anything in life it is that differences are an opportunity to learn and grow. Uniqueness should be flaunted, not hidden or suppressed. And even though it sounds cliche: life would be boring if we were all the same. We say it, but it needs to be practiced and celebrated more. If there is one thing I will teach my children it is this:

Never be afraid of your differences. Never be afraid of others' differences. Your opinions of people should be based on kindness, open-mindedness, and empathy. Never on appearances, ignorance, or stereotypes.

I feel as if this is one of life's most important lessons.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

In all honesty, I want to offer new experiences for this site. I want to be able to meet new people who would be willing to visit me once my own travels are over, who will read and respond and interact with my travel blog, who will meet each other through my blog and share their experiences with everyone willing to listen.

I also want to join groups, have interesting discussions, learn, teach, and find happiness through meeting new people.

I will start hosting in 2011 in Chapel Hill, NC. Close to Raleigh (good concerts, etc).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Traveled four months through Europe. Started in Greece and ended in the Netherlands. Usually hitchhiking and couchsurfing. Went to some great events and met amazing hosts who really opened up my eyes to the hospitality in this world.

Interests

Reading, creative writing, blogging on my website, Anthropology, archaeology in particular, and, of course, traveling. The environment is another passion of mine. I enjoy learning about sustainability in relation to politics, economics, and our culture as a whole.

Creative writing has always been important to me, and as a gift to myself for graduating college, I have been taking time to write a couple of short stories that I have had in my head for years. (And revising a couple that were published long ago).

I love to swim, listen to music, eat, explore, and have adventures (it seems broad, but excitement is the only requirement for me). Learning new things is so important. I am trying to learn new languages, but it is slowly progressing. Even though I love music, I have much to learn about style, process, and cultural diversity in music.

• culture
• writing
• books
• literature
• photography
• concerts
• environment
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• drawing
• music
• swimming
• anthropology
• economics
• geography
• history
• languages
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Movies: Pineapple Express is one of my favorite movies of all time (it might say something about me...). Eternal Sunshine, Gosford Park, Coraline, I Love You, Man, and The Hangover are a few others.

Favorite TV shows: It's Always Sunny in Philly, Arrested Development, Ugly Americans, almost anything on comedy central really. (And even though I'm not a huge vampire follower, I've recently gotten into the first couple of seasons of True Blood).

Even though I love almost all books a few of my favorites are Sophie's World (a good starting point when learning about philosophy), The Brothers Karamazov (probably my favorite book of all time), Life of Pi, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Historian, anything by Faulkner.

Music ranges from Passion Pit to Alison Krauss to Ludacris to Sitar Soundings. There really is no middle ground for me with music. It's all or nothing, and I chose all. (Yes, even country now).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went to field school in Rio Maior with the WFU summer program and excavated sites in many different landscapes. It was a life-changing experience and it gave me the adventure I've always wanted. I fell in love with archaeology and found my first Paleolithic artifacts. It made me appreciative of the experiences that draw people of different cultures close together.

Teach, Learn, Share

The things I know most about are archaeology and literature. I've read hundreds of books on a variety of subjects, and I've closely studied anthropology for four years. My favorite things to discuss are philosophy, literature, and anthropological theory.

There are so many things I want to learn! Languages, history, geography, world politics. I would also love to learn about photography and video editing since I am an amateur blogger and have amateur videos on my website. For anyone who loves to teach: I am a willing pupil.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Greece, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom, United States

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