I'm a chill person that loves good food, good literature, great company and inspiring adventures. If I'm not reading, writing, walking, or spending time with my friends, I'm usually dreaming about which country I'll visit next. I worked at a newspaper in Dickinson, North Dakota, where I reported on the oil industry activity there as well as the politics and crime. I have since left that job, traveled extensively throughout Eurasia, and now I've settled in Vietnam to teach English. (I actually prepare students for the IELTS Examination, speaking and writing skills, if you know about that.)

One notable thing I've done is serve in the AmeriCorps (domestic version of the Peace Corps) with the Hoopa Valley Native American Reservation in California in 2012 and 2013. It was an eye-opening window into reservation life nowadays.

I received a TESOL certificate (for ESL) in Prague in 2016. While I currently utilize it to a great degree, I would eventually like to get into freelance journalism abroad.

If you meet me, you might think that I am somewhat quiet, but that's because I'm quite introverted. However, I still do really enjoy meeting others and chatting with them; if I'm silent, then I'm just observing my surroundings.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to believe that the best way one can learn about an area or a culture is through direct contact with its people. This is a valuable tool in facilitating that connection. In fact, it seems like the only meaningful way to travel.
Also, as a journalist at heart, I am deeply curious about different places and what happens there, and I believe the best way to discover this is to meet with locals.

Interests

I have a passion for literature, and I love to write (which is partially why I chose to be a newspaper reporter for my first job out of university). I love studying countries, cultures and their histories, and I also believe I have a mind for linguistics; I've recently found that I absolutely love studying Vietnamese in my spare time. Call me a creative fellow. I like to study religions as well.

It should be obvious by this point that I love to travel.

One interesting hobby I picked up in North Dakota is baking traditional German cakes, the recipes for which I've dug up from the Internet. I've even had to use Google Translate for a few of them. I love cooking for company.

• culture
• writing
• literature
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• baking
• yoga
• instructor
• walking
• politics
• traveling
• journalism
• religion
• teaching english
• ielts

Music, Movies, and Books

Classic American rock is something from which I can't seem to part: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and many others. I like William Faulkner works, Ernest Hemingway, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Shakespeare, David Foster Wallace and more. I lean toward artistically-done films: I used to find Cannes Film Festival winners at the university library when I was bored and watch them.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was with the Hoopa people, I was invited multiple times to take part in a sweat lodge ritual that was otherwise for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. It was a small, round hut built alongside a great river that was covered with old blankets and canvas, with an earthen floor surrounding a pit. A roaring fire was just outside the hut, which heated the volcanic rocks that were eventually carried to the pit in the hut with a metal rake. Everyone would circle the hut once before filing inside around the pit and closing the flap, bringing total darkness. Then they would start chanting in their language, pouring cups of water onto the hot rocks and increasing the hair-singeing heat until I had to lie on the cool earth to stay conscious, sweat pouring from my skin and the chants pounding through my ears. After a while we would open the flap and emerge under the bright stars overhead.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have my TESOL certification, so anyone wanting to practice their English with me is very much welcome. Also, if you have any interest in studying for or taking the IELTS Exam, I can give you some advice about that (as well as maybe give you a practice test to guess your score); I took the test myself and received an 8.5 overall, which sort of acts as my credential to teach it here in Vietnam. I was actually a certified yoga instructor once, though I admittedly have fallen away from practice since I moved away from home. Beyond that, I can share my fiery curiosity for travel, as well as tips I've gathered from the countries I've already visited.

I have a keen interest in almost every subject. Religion, urban planning, history, social media and its effects, art, technology, politics, journalism, globalization... any conversation we can have about any of these topics will light up my brain.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my English (and IELTS) skills, as well as a patient ear for all types of stories.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Georgia, Greece, India, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States, Viet Nam