CURRENT MISSION

To live.

ABOUT ME

I´m a pretty laid-back guy with a good attiude about pretty much everything. I try to find the humor in every situation, but try to know when to stop before crossing any boundaries/offending anybody.

I´m Palestinian, grew up in the United States for the most part, and have experienced a sort of cultural blending from both cultures. I understand how it is to be a foreigner in both Palestine and the United States, especially since I might be lacking on all of the cultural knowledge that all my peers have. That´s okay, though--it´s a good ice breaker!

I come from a pretty big family. Six kids in total, and I have a twin brother. He´s off to Peru for the next nine months, but I´m sure to be visiting him this summer once I leave Spain.

I hate these descriptions because they´re almost always incomplete, so if you want to know anything else, just let me know!

PHILOSOPHY

Live life to its fullest without losing who you are in the process.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Right now, I´m in a cramped apartment in Madrid, Spain, so there´s not a whole lot of space for me to offer, but once I get back to the States, if you´re ever interested in visiting Milwaukee or Madison, Wisconsin, let me know!

In the meantime, I´m always willing to meet up with new people to grab a coffee or walk around Madrid.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven´t had any yet, but I will be traveling with one of my friends, Maggie, to the UK and Ireland this spring break for my first. I´m sure it´ll be a good experience!

Interests

Traveling, languages, Queen Latifah, reading, going to the movies, music, television, walking, hanging out with friends, new cultures, intersting people.

• dining
• coffee
• vegetarian
• walking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• piano
• violin
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Last Holiday, Beauty Shop, Shutter Island, Crash
Music: iTunes Top 100. Spanish songs. Arabic songs. I´m getting into more alternative/indy/rock stuff now that I´m trying to expand my test in music.
Books: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Maybe going to the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the day the market was open last April. I saw Haitians crossing into the DR so quickly and with such panic since they only had three hours to get as much food and supplies as possible due to strict border enforcement. It was astounding the gap I saw between what the Dominicans had and the Haitians did not.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you to make my favorite Palestinian cuisine: maklouba! Rice, chicken, veggies, yogurt, and salad! Vegetarian option available, as well.

I can teach you a little bit of Arabic, though I´m not formally trained in it since I grew up in the United States and don´t have the background that my oldest siblings have since they grew up in Palestine.

I would really like to learn to play the violin... it seems cool. Piano, too.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, Mexico, Spain, United States