ABOUT ME

I'm the one that all my friends call when they need to revise their resume, find a landscaper, or file their back taxes. Ok, back up... that makes me sound like a boring nerd. I probably am a total nerd, but at least not a boring one, imo.

I like to party, I like to think, and probably more than anything, I like to talk (you know how some people are angry drunks and some people are slutty drunks? I'm a chatty drunk.) I've gotten pretty good over the years at balancing the Martha Stewart and Hunter Thompson in me, and I think the result is not too shabby.

PHILOSOPHY

Geez, how do you answer this without sounding totally pompous?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've creeped on this site long enough - I'm finally in a nice and big enough house to host! I figure the kind of people that make it all the way to Urumqi are probably the kind of people I want to share a few drinks with!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had a profile since 2008, but I've never really put any time into Couchsurfing. Now I'm getting ready to move to Urumqi, and this seems like a great time to get more involved in it.

Interests

For years, the capitalist in me has been fighting the academic in me. Somewhere along the way, I thought 'Fuck it, let them both win.' So I might not get a whole lot of sleep, but I do enjoy engaging both parts of my brain - I own an education company in Shanghai, and I am working through a PhD in city and regional planning. I could geek-out and talk about my research interests, but probably best to just say that I love teaching, writing, and travelling to places where interesting things are happening - and I feel lucky that I have found a career which, if all goes well, will allow me to do all of these things.

• fish
• aquaria
• writing
• education
• recipes
• partying
• drinking
• traveling
• fishing
• hunting
• business
• teaching
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

The books are heavy and non-fiction. The movies are absurd and involve stoner misadventures and/or Will Ferrell. The music is somewhere in-between.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

An extremely wealthy Hong Kong factory owner living in Shanghai once wanted me to tutor their 6th grade son in science, despite the fact that I was the owner of the company and didn't tutor as a general rule. But they made it worth my while, and I agreed. When I walked into their house, I took my shoes off in the foyer, separated from the living room by a 15 foot long and 20 foot tall aquarium (floor-to-ceiling). I noticed the living coral and exotic fish - all about as posh as you'd expect from a wall-sized aquarium. Just then, this adorable 12 year old comes out to greet me.

The first thing I said to him, in what I thought was a joking tone, "What, no sharks?" His reply - as calm and matter-of-fact as could be: "Oh, they got too big, so we had to take them out."

I don't think I've ever been so awestruck as that moment. It wasn't the wealth that got me - it was how ordinary it all seemed to this kid. It wasn't good or bad - it's just how things were. This sounds very corny, but I think I learned something big that day.

Teach, Learn, Share

In real life, I've spent the past decade teaching test preparation, and starting a business that does test prep in Shanghai - so I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that, if you need GRE prep, I'm the go-to girl. But what else... I have been living in China for the past 7 years (with a two year break to go back to school). I've seen things change a lot, and other things not change - I like talking about this stuff, and people seem to really like talking to me about it. Now I'm studying Chinese-Central Asian relations. lol - if you're interested in that (you'd be the only other one!) for sure, let's talk!

I'm down to learn more about the little (ok, huge) corner of China that I'm moving to - and pretty much any other corner of the world. Maybe this is what I'm hoping to get out of Couchsurfing - stories, recipes, and just some new experiences that I wouldn't otherwise have.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Taiwan, United States