CURRENT MISSION

To get deep inside cultural adventures, survive, come back out and share them with you!

ABOUT ME

While growing up, every few years the fam and I picked up and moved to a new state. I went to 10 schools before college. I developed skills to fit into to new places. I realized that refugees, expats, immigrants, and travelers all need these skills too. So, I try and spend as much time around them as possible.

PHILOSOPHY

I like making a familiar feeling of what others call the strange. I have this belief that if I keep pushing things together that are unusual (eg. Business and Education, Improv Comedy and Spiritual Reflection, Entrepreneurial activity and intercultural development, being serious while being hilarious) that I can come up with something unique and worthwhile.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Uptown is a great and magical place. After you leave the front door you can see a war protest, a tall biker, a drunken patron of the local bar. From my place you can walk to the Walker Sculpture Garden with the world famous spoon and cherry. I must share this place with the world.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have hosted and participated in CS. The first time I hosted was the week I moved into a new house. There were boxes everywhere, but also a guest bed. Getting a house allowed me to offer more than a couch and that was the biggest benefit. Through CS I have stayed in a yurt and in public housing. I like CS and CS people. Long live Couch Surfing!!!

Interests

I am interested in improvisational comedy, intercultural adventures, international adventures, entrepreneurial activity. I like going on walks to get a feel for a place. When I come to a new city or village, I like to challenge myself to make it feel like home, to make it seem familiar. For example I was in this village in the Hamar region of Ethiopia and I ate ground barley with some folks and tried to make jokes although I didn't know the language.

• education
• gardening
• surfing
• business
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

the book Guns, Germs and Steel, The Republic,
Movies: Children of Men, Pi, and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Music: I like abstract minimalistic Techno, the minus label puts out some cool stuff, plus I like old school soul music from the 70s, I also like Baroque.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I narrowly escaped the infamous Bangkok gem scam, a vicious monkey attack in Vietnam, an angry racist with a gun in Guatemala, and a beat down by gangsters in Wisconsin. I am thankful for life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach improvisational skills to help you think quickly.
I can teach some intercultural skills to help be cool in other countries.
I like to learn about new cultures and points of view.
I want to share experiences with new people.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Cambodia, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Panama, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Japan, United States

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