I'm a 33 year old straight male originally from upstate NY. I spent 6 years in Long island and then two in the Bronx. I lived in Portland, OR for 5 years before moving to Helsinki in August of 2016.

My girlfriend and I came here so that she could begin a master's business program at Aalto University. I'm a dual US/Finnish citizen but unfortunately have never learned the language. Therefore, I've been a full-time Finnish student for the past three months. Hauska tutustua!

I love to travel, cook, read, fish, hike and backpack, rock climb, and hang out with my dog and girlfriend (not necessarily in that order).

Even though, I don't have much (any) friends at the moment, I am a real person who is down to Earth and pretty easy going. I can be a bit quiet (I am Finnish after all...) but I do enjoy meaningful conversation and meeting genuine people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm brand new to CouchSurfer and am here because I I am spending 90 days in northern Thailand starting March 1st and am looking for interesting people to meet and places to stay for my first 30 days. After that, I will be attending a mindfullness retreat for the rest of my trip.

I'm not just looking for a couch to crash on, but am also looking for interesting people who are doing interesting things and need a travel buddy or a helping hand.

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Big Lebowski, A River Runs Through It, Point Break

Fiction: Nick Adams Stories (and any other Hemingway short story), Lonesome Dove, Borges, Murakami, Wally Lamb

Non-Fiction: Chomsky, Zinn, Klein, Guns, Omnivore's Dilemma, Germs, & Steel, Into The Wild

Music: I've been listening to a lot hip-hop recently. Mostly Logic, Gang Starr, Common, ATCQ, WuTang, Nas, Big.... I grew up on Pearl Jam, Green Day, RHCP, Smashing Pumpkins, NOFX, etc. But I also love Dylan, The Stones, Beatles, Queen and Paul Simon. Classical music and Opera was played a lot in my house growing up, so those genres are also near to my heart.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I managed to escape a shitty home environment when I was 16 and live in Ecuador for a year. Best decision of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

The two things I know the most about are fundraising and making pizza. I'd love to share my knowledge if anyone is interested.

I am always open and excited to learn new things.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook a meal and/or help with some cleaning or chores.

I'm not trained in any particular trade, but I'm handy with tools and am pretty good at building and fixing things.

I can help hosts practice their English or Spanish and very basic Finnish.