CURRENT MISSION

To love life, people, and the environment. To give and receive, to cherish in the joy of our existence. To be present, in the moment, attentive.

ABOUT ME

Dance instructor, DJ, bicyclist, photographer, sustainable development engineer, graduate student, southpaw, environmentalist, nerd, lover of life and people.

I define myself first and foremost as a dancer. I enjoy Blues, solo dancing, Lindy Hop, African, Argentine Tango, Ballroom, Hip Hop, House, Modern, and West Coast Swing.

I love to share my passion of dance with others, which is why I became a teacher. I currently teach and deejay at Blues events nationally.

In tandem with loving dance, I love to be fit. I bicycle a lot, practice yoga and pilates, and just generally stay active. The human body is an amazing work of art. It also helps me dance better, which is a plus.

I am a big fan of activities that bring me in contact with nature: bicycling, backpacking, fly fishing, hiking, and photography.

Really, I like a lot of things in life. I like to learn and explore the world.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe we were put on this earth to love. To love everything. That means going out and experiencing life. It is all a part of striving to become a better, more sincere, more considerate, and more loving person.

I particularly enjoy talking about life philosophies with people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Currently traveling.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My favorite experience: being hosted by a conservation ecologist in the Congo Republic. He worked for the national parks service to protect the gorilla population. He welcomed me into his home and integrated me with his family. (He also saved me from trouble with immigration.) Fascinating conversation and a wonderful way to be introduced to the country.

Interests

Dancing, teaching, yoga, reading, backpacking, sustainability and sustainable development, natural building, bicycling, Civil Engineering, structural systems.

• arts
• photography
• dancing
• tango
• environment
• fitness
• yoga
• pilates
• instructor
• flying
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• blues
• fishing
• hiking
• backpacking
• ecology
• teaching
• engineering
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Lightnin' Hopkins, Dr. Michael White, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, Miles Davis, Nickel Creek, Eric Whitacre, Thievery Corporation, Sufjan Stevens, Nina Simone, Solomon Burke

Movies: The Spirit Moves, anything by Werner Herzog, Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Lord of the Rings

Books: Unbearable Lightness of Being, If On A Winter's Night A Traveler, Cosmicomics, Siddhartha, Walden Two, the Hobbit, Of Mice and Men, books by David Sedaris, American Gods

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Went to Nigeria for an internship as a sustainable development engineer. Challenging and exciting on so many levels. If you want to read about some of my experiences, visit my blog: http://andrewsouthpaw.blogspot.com/search/label/africa.

Teach, Learn, Share

Dancing - Blues, Lindy Hop, Argentine Tango, African, Ballroom, West Coast Swing, Hip Hop (a little), House (a little)

Fitness - Ashtanga Yoga, pilates

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Congo, France, Germany, Italy, Mali, Nigeria, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States

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