CURRENT MISSION

Conquering the world

ABOUT ME

American currently visiting Australia - exploring all over the country.

PHILOSOPHY

The Universe unfolds as it should... if something is meant to be, it will happen. If it's not meant to be, it won't.
Everything happens for a reason.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Unknown (supposedly, and frequently attributed to, Mark Twain but no one can prove it)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Host, Surf, Give Advice... you name it!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Lots of really great experiences, I've always said Couchsurfing isn't about saving money, it's more about having a friend you can count on when you first arrive in an unfamiliar city.
Usually (hopefully anyway) a friend that will be able to take you to the best spots that a hotel/hostel might not even know about - much less have anyone local go with you.

Interests

Traveling,
Brazil,
Traveling,
The University of Pittsburgh,
Traveling,
Pittsburgh Sports (Steelers, Penguins, Pitt),
Traveling,
Açaí (The number one reason I lived in Brasil)

Oh yeah... I almost forgot: TRAVELING

• traveling
• sailing
• sports
• swimming
• world cup
• beaches
• mountains
• brazil

Music, Movies, and Books

I love all music... except (American) country. Particularly enjoy electronic but I've really been listening to a ton of Brazilian music lately - Charlie Brown Jr., Seu Jorge, O Rappa, Nação Zumbi, Jorge & Mateus, Criolo, NatiRuts, Lenine, JotaQuest, Capital Inicial, Legião Urbana, Skank, Jorge Ben Jor, Curumin, Emicida

I don't own a TV, I just use my computer to stream live sporting events and Netflix.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Can't choose just one amazing thing so here are some highlights:

- Visiting Antarctica
- Spending at least two full days of my life in every (full-hour) time zone on earth.
- Being 2 days older than everyone else born the same day as me (I crossed the International Dateline twice - going east, and repeated one day both times) - haha just kidding about the being older part, but I have crossed twice!
- Standing (on a ship) at the point 0.00N 0.00E (Intersection of the Prime Meridian and the Equator)
- Seeing wild elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, rhinos and (rare) aardvarks on safari in South Africa
- Cage diving with great white sharks
- Petting an adult cheetah and lion cubs
- Visiting one of the holiest cities on Earth (and seeing the sunrise on the Ganges) - Varanasi, India
- Climbing the Great Wall of China covered in snow during the winter
- Seeing the Taj Mahal
- Camel trekking across the Sahara Desert and sleeping in a nomad camp (outside Zagora, Morocco)
- Witnessing the intense power of Foz Do Iguaçu (Brasil/Argentina)
- Sailing around the limestone mountains in the tranquil waters of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
- Spending a few nights in the Amazon Rainforest and "swimming" (read: standing in the water) with wild (and increasingly rare) Amazonian pink river dolphins
- Renting Scooters and riding around the harrowing cliffside roads in Taroko Gorge, Taiwan
- Experiencing six days of no limits Carnaval at a republica in Ouro Preto
- Being in Brazil for the FIFA World Cup, going to 5 games in 4 cities and 4 regions (including the Tim Howard record-setting US/Belgium round of 16 match in Salvador and seeing the only Cristiano Ronaldo goal of the World Cup in Brasília), watching nearly every game and being 100% down for all the fun (zueira) that happened every single day of the tournament.
- World Cup Part 2 in Russia
- Opera Performance at the Bolshoi in Moscow
- Visiting 6 countries in 6 days (would advise against it!)

OR...

Traveling 29,000 miles while living on the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, visiting 14 countries while circumnavigating the globe on a floating university (Semester at Sea)...... TWICE! :)

Teach, Learn, Share

Be nice to people... You never know when you'll need to count on someone for a favor. Do onto others as you would have them do onto you.

Explore. Dream. Discover

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have lots of great stories to tell from my travels. Brazilians in particular like to say that I know more about Brazil than they do - and who knows, they might be right! :P

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Faroe Islands, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Lesotho, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, United States