I am a PhD student studying biophysics at UCLA. I work in a lab and I teach chemistry to undergraduate students. I am not easy-going, and I'm extremely socially awkward. I'm culturally Jewish and keep a kosher home. If any of these things make you uncomfortable, then please do not make a couch request.

I joined Couchsurfing in 2008, and have done quite a bit of surfing myself. What Couchsurfing means to me is an exchange of cultures. The purpose of hosting is to travel without leaving my home. Thus, I make my couch available to international travelers and people of color.

MY HOME IS NOT A HOTEL; do not offer compensation; that's what Airbnb is for and it signifies that you are abusing the Couchsurfing platform.

Original CS profile:

CURRENT MISSION

to remain in constant

ABOUT ME

I love gardening. I LOVE dancing. I write like I breathe. Sometimes I paint and draw. I fell in love with the Mediterranean Sea. Leipzig reminded me of the number 42 (the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything, but also my favorite number. By this I'm not implying that Leipzig is the answer, just that the graffitied buildings remind me of the feeling of 42...). I love Italian percolators. I love strange cities and old people. I still haven't figured out goodbyes, and sometimes I'm awkwardly not-silent. so if the time arises for silence I feel not-awkward.

PHILOSOPHY

trying not to define things esp myself. staying open even though it's a challenge. stepping on as few flowers as possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have hosted a little (even at hosts' houses, long story...) but mostly I was a surfer. Current life situation has me in one place.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I love CS meetings and gatherings. They're just swell. I love meeting people and really seeing a place i.e. less sight-seeing and more life-seeing.

other than that, I'd say to read my references... it's pretty much all there really.

Interests

chemistry. biophysics. (commuter) cyclist. parties. cooking. armpit hair. food. hiking. books. beer. wine. dancing. flea markets. salads. hitch-hiking. thrift stores.

• writing
• books
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• partying
• gardening
• thrifting
• flowers
• socializing
• painting
• drawing
• hiking
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Everything is Illuminated
Isabel Illende
Luis Jorge Borges
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Steinbeck (some of it)
We (Yevgeny Zamyatin)
Dune (yes, the whole series!)
So many more....

I like to listen to anything I can dance to (this includes moshing sometimes...) I LOVE FOLK MUSIC. If I visit you or if you visit me, this is the crucial exchange - music!! I also like bluegrass, cuban salsa, polka, jazz, bassa nova, classical, metal... just about everything!! Artists like Nina Simone, Bush, Thelonius Monk, Kaizers Orchestra, Matisyahu, Mercedes Sosa, Ehud Benai, Black Uhuru, Crystal Castles, Jonny Cash, The Tenacious D, etc, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

On my current travels I've ridden a camel in the Negev Desert, eaten at an anarchist kitchen in Eastern Germany, gotten incredibly high in the Netherlands (and lost...), met amazing people through CS, and forged connection after connection after connection.

Teach, Learn, Share

i don't know what I can offer you... we'll have to see won't we? but i do have limited skills in:

-currently teaching biochemistry at UCLA, so definitely can teach you stuff if you're interested... in fact I will probably teach you stuff. Consider yourself warned.

-cooking. Also important to note my household is strictly kosher...

-fart jokes, because America.

*I would love to learn a new language and prove the American stereotype wrong... but until then I guess it's held up in me.... so:

-phrases in your language (hey, it's better than nothing) especially those that involve how to get somewhere while hitch-hiking

-any other random skill/bit of knowledge you can provide

What I Can Share with Hosts

Do not send requests without specific dates and times - I need to check with my housemates first.

Requests for coaches are only valid if in the message you acknowledge that you have read my profile (for the sake of courtesy!). The message should be titled with SUPERSTARFISH, otherwise, I will not consider your request.

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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