CURRENT MISSION

suck the marrow out of life

ABOUT ME

When I was a kid I used to think that the world was this huge place with people that were as different from each other as night is from day. I thought people in America all live in skyscrapers and drive corvettes. People in Saudi Arabia ride camels everywhere they go and that people in Russia all live in Igloos and eat polar bears. Needless to say, as I "grew up a bit" I realized that this was not true; well, most of it.

In the past 10 years I have turned this assumption upside down learning more about the world through travel than I could have ever had through a book. I have lived in Europe for 9 years, Chicago for 14, 4 years in Seoul and now I am back in Europe.

In my travels I have come to the conclusion that intrinsically people all around the world are essentialy the same; striving for the same basic life essentials. Everbody strives to be happy, live in peace and especially to make valuable human connections. Don't get me wrong, the differences in our cultures and habits is what makes the world beautiful and unique. But to think that we are too different to understand each other and live in peace is proposterous. Rather, it is ignorance and the lack of exposure to each other that makes us "seem" much different than we really are.

So, don't be afraid to go out and meet your peers around the world, "the world is a book, and those that do not travel read only one page."

PHILOSOPHY

I am like many other recent college graduates trying to "find their way in life." I firmly believe that if you do something you are passionate about, everything else will fall into place. The key to doing this is not always knowing exactly what that thing is, but not being afraid in trying new things and not giving up until you do. If you have a strong will, good things will come your way.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host, surf and meet as many folks as I can.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Over 40 and counting.

Interests

I am a nature lover so I love to go hiking when I get the chance. I really have a wide range of interests. Sometime I feel like I have too many and that I should just focus on a few. Regardless, some things I enjoy doing are: reading and writing nonfiction, foreign films, bike riding, sports, sending postcards, helping people and traveling among others.

• writing
• books
• literature
• meditation
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• sports

Music, Movies, and Books

Although I am partial to Ryszard Kapuscinski I don't really have a favorite author. I just love reading about people visiting different places on the planet at different time periods.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Whenever a human being does something good for a complete stranger with no other reason than to make their life better are always the moments that leave the biggest impact upon my life. There is nothing more powerful than the human spirit.

Teach, Learn, Share

""We should know about the world, weather we do it through travel, literature of our interactions with other human beings. It is our duty to open our minds, see, and understand the world that surround us. However, in the end it, we should not concern ourselves with visiting every part of it, but instead with finding our own small part of it and making it as best as possible."
-my own meditation on life

Countries I’ve Visited

Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, United States

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