I have spent the last 2 years in rural Cambodia as a Community Health Educator with the Peace Corps, a US-government funded volunteer organization where I lived with a local host family, an amazing group of humans who took me in as their own, fed me and put up with me for two years! The experiences are hard to put into words but there are lots of stories and memories, and now I can speak Khmer :) I will keep traveling... and excited to get back into surfing/hosting and connect with this wonderful network of travelers ❤️️❤️️

**My previous place of residence was in New Orleans, and I got a lot of questions about things to do/see so I am keeping this bit of information below as a quick guide to cool spots in this amazing city, see below! :)
**

RECOMMENDED SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES IN NEW ORLEANS (sorted by neighborhood)

DOWNTOWN

-French Quarter: Royal St (lots of art galleries), Coop's Place (best gumbo!), Bar Tonique (best Bloody Marys, but only on Saturdays), Spitfire Coffee, Fleurty Girl, Jackson Square, One Eyed Jacks (great music venue), Preservation Hall
-DO NOT GO ON BOURBON ST it is overrated with disgusting drinks, food, it smells, and way too expensive

-Marigny: Frenchman St, ST CLAUDE AVE: Hi Ho Lounge, Kajun's (great drunken kareoke), Dragon's Den (Sunday night raves), New Movement Improv comedy, Siberia (various local live music), Healing Center with food co-op and Cafe Istanbul
-Flora Cafe (more for the ambiance than the food)

-Bywater: Frady's for good Po Boys, Satsuma Cafe, the thrift stores, Euclid Records, Elizabeth's (great "New Orleans" food for breakfast and lunch), Crescent City Park, Baccenal's

-Central Business District (CBD): World War II Museum, Urban South Brewery

UPTOWN (where I live)
-Oak St: Zots Cafe, Jaques Imo's, Maple Leaf Bar
-Freret St: Gasa Gasa (great live music venue), Midway Pizza, Cure (James Beard Award nominated bar), Mojo Coffee
-Magazine St
-Audobon Park, Audobon Zoo, "The Fly" (a park where you can hang out)
-Miss Mae's: local 24 hour bar with super cheap drinks
-Riverbend (where St Charles and S Carrolton meet): Cooter Brown's, Carrolton Market
-St Charles: Avenue Pub (24 hr bar with huge selection of beer), Blind Pelican (incredible happy hour deals on oysters!!)

GARDEN DISTRICT/LOWER GARDEN DISTRICT
-Stein's Deli, District Donuts, more of Magazine St, Rum House, Dat Dog, Shaya (where I work!), Joey K's, all the art galleries, Tracy's (Irish bar with good Po Boys, THE place to go on St Patrick's Day), Tchoup Yard (really cool open air bar area with pop up kitchen and free yoga on Wednesday evenings), New Orleans Boulder gym on Tchoupitolas St (ladies night on Wednesdays, only $10)

MID CITY
-City Park, largest urban park in the country
-Museum of Art and sculpture garden, located in City Park
-Bayou Beer Garden
-Chickie Wah Wah, amazing music acts with killer BBQ food
-Monkey Monkey coffee shop

BAYOU ST JOHN
-Adjacent to city park... just a nice neighborhood to walk around the bayou, especially good for jogging :)
-Pal's Lounge is a really great local bar

FAIRGROUNDS
-next to Bayou St John - Ponce De Leon St, and where Jazz Fest is... other than that I don't know much about it

LOWER NINTH WARD
-Lower Ninth Ward living museum!! A nonprofit museum converted from a shotgun house describing New Orleans culture and how the city pulled through Hurricane Katrina
-House of Dance and Feathers, for you Mardi Gras Indian enthusiasts (like myself)
----

CURRENT MISSION

To figure out my mission

ABOUT ME

After getting my B.A. eight years ago, I have been wandering around different states and countries (and supporting this habit by working in the service industry, mad respect for all restaurant and retail workers), accumulating different experiences, feeding my love of travel and exploration with hope that one day, I'll know what I want to "do" with my life (still figuring that out). Growing up, I never really traveled outside of North America. It's been an incredible journey so far - I've taken multi-state road trips, survived a major earthquake in Nepal, picked berries for money in California, took a 26 hour train ride across India (would not recommend the non-AC compartment even if it is cheaper), moved to a ski town and learned how to ski in Colorado, learned to speak/read/write another language in less than 2 years, and lots of other stuff.

So far I've lived (outside of the US) in Scotland, Israel, and Nepal (if 3 months counts as living there?), Cambodia and done small bits of traveling in Europe/ Middle East/Asia in between. And thanks to CouchSurfing and other random adventures, I've made lots of friends along the way :)

Additionally, I have lived in now five different states in the US - MA, MD, CO, CA, and LA and have driven through/visited most other states so I would be happy to give any recommendations or advice for traveling in the US :)

So, here's to more adventures and worldwide friends!

PHILOSOPHY

-Trust yourself, not what is expected of you.
-Do what you love, love what you do and (try to) fuck the rest.
-It is important to keep pushing yourself and your comfort zone to really experience life (for me, it would be immersing myself in a foreign country without knowing anyone there). Also I think cultural exchange is vital in life; people need to see the world through other people's points of views.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Try to give as much as I can, listen to others, be open-minded and try to enjoy my time as much as possible. I am a person that loves helping other people.

Since I am often not able to host - due to my constant moving mostly - or my extremely irregular schedule - I try to give back by helping cook, clean, etc. Or I could teach some basic Capoeira, Hebrew or Khmer

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

It's been great going out on a whim and getting to know and stay with the locals or people who have lived in the area. It's only through Couchsurfing that I have been able to experience everything from fun ukelele and moshpit shows in St. Louis to meditating in an ashram and impromptu dance house-parties in Vancouver to exploring the best local pastry and fish market by the river in Istanbul.

When I am traveling and staying with someone outside of CS, or living in an unfamiliar place, the first thing I will do is reach out to the local CS community. Every single person I have met in those events has been warm, inspiring, friendly, full of experience and positive energy. That's why I keep coming back to CS!

Interests

My interests are really everywhere. Sometimes I like to relax and watch cartoons or Monty Python. Sometimes I will binge-watch all the Good Mythical Morning episodes on YouTube I've missed out on. Sometimes I will just sit down and write about random travel experiences/memories that I've had.

I also love outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, camping, climbing a mountain if I'm up to it. I try to stay physically active - jog, go for long walks. I love any activitiy that combines being social and excerise - Capoeira, swing dancing, and acro yoga are my favorites.

In any community that I live in, I try to volunteer regularly to be more active in my community and learn more about it and understand the local socioeconomic issues that create barriers. I've worked in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, community led urban gardens, built houses, etc.
I also like being in the city nightlife of hanging out in bars and sometimes clubbing ... but most importantly, I just want to explore!

Music, Movies, and Books

A book whose lessons I take deep to heart is Herman Hess' Siddartha.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I had an internship the summer after I graduated working with a nonprofit called the International Rescue Committee in which I worked with all the departments to resettle refugees and asylees from all over the world into the city of Baltimore. I got to directly help displaced people and families from all parts of life and make them feel at home in a foreign country. It was really hard work and I only got paid in gas money for driving clients around, but it was incredibly rewarding.

Teach, Learn, Share

this is going to be super corny but here it goes... connecting with each other as like minded travelers from all over the world is the best way to find world peace.
I love to share my stories as much as I want to learn from you!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories! I have had many odd, epic and strange adventures and events that have happened to me and met many beautiful people along the way. Give me enough time and I will recount a story. I will also offer a listening ear to your experiences and stories because communicating and sharing is how we learn about life.
I also like to cook - I'm not a professional, but I have fun experimenting with foods and throwing them together. And of course, I will respect your space and keep it clean and tidy.
I have surfed many times and each time I am so grateful for the world of couchsurfing and its hosts, so lastly, I will provide hugs and gratitude!!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cambodia, Israel, Nepal, United Kingdom