Hey everybody, I'm Austin, and I'm an American student in my second year of university. I'm studying International Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States, but I'm currently in New York City for an internship. I like traveling a lot, as well as meeting people from all over. I like meeting locals when I travel because it helps me get a unique experience, rather than just the typical tourist traps, and it helps me create connections with the places I go rather than just going there and never seeing anyone from there ever again.

I'm very sensitive to smoke that isn't cooking-related, so if you smoke in the house, I probably wouldn't be able to stay with you. It's not anything against you as a person, but my lungs just are just too sensitive to expose them to that.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing primarily to find people to stay with on any trips I may take, both to reduce travel costs because I'm a student, but also to meet people who can show me around and get more of an "insider's perspective" on the places I visit.

I'd like to host people at some point, but I can't right now because I'm not living on my own.

Interests

I'm interested in all sorts of languages and cultures, as well as politics and history to a lesser extent. I learn languages for fun, and also like going to the movie theater a lot (probably too much). I like playing video games, primarily grand strategy and RPGs, and I like reading fantasy and sci-fi books, although I haven't been reading a lot lately. I don't really like sports, but it's fine if you do. If you can convince me that it will be fun I'll certainly try it out.

• books
• theater
• cooking
• politics
• video games
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• sports
• history
• languages
• study abroad

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to all kinds of music, from country to rap. There are some genres that I generally like more than others, but I like at least a few songs from every genre I can think of except for screamo music. With music, movies, and books, I read, watch, and listen to so much that I really have a hard time picking favorites. For movies, though, some that I have really liked are Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I don't think I'm that amazing, but I won a scholarship from the US State Department to study abroad in South Korea between high school and college for the summer, where I began to learn the language, even though I only speak it at a pre-K level.

Teach, Learn, Share

I tend to remember a lot of random facts, so you'll probably learn a few things just from random conversations we have. Most of the random facts I bring up are usually language, history, music, or movie related.

What I Can Share with Hosts

If you're looking for someone to go do things with, I should certainly be able to. I can also hopefully show you a less stereotypical view of Americans.

Countries I’ve Visited

Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Peru, Poland, United Kingdom, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Belgium, South Korea, United States