I am a 48 year old male. My grandparents were born and raised in Ukraine and immigrated to Chicago in North America where my parents and I were born and raised. After graduating high school I spent 5 years traveling around North and Central America playing music and being part of festivals, encampments, and gatherings. After that I lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattan(New York City) where I helped share food and co-created alternative living and community spaces. In the later '90's into the early '00's I was involved in forest defense in northern California. During that time I also worked on a social-justice farm for 6 months and went to some political mobilizations, including the 'Battle of Seattle. In '04 and '05 I lived in the South Bronx(New York City) maintaining and defending community gardens. I spent 3 months in New Orleans doing relief work after Hurricane Katrina. Since '06 I have lived in the East Bay of San Francisco, California where I have been blessed to be part of my niece and nephew's upbringing. I have also been involved in the Berkeley tree-sit, Occupy Oakland, and other land and justice projects.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have lived a lot of my adult life 'couch surfing'. I have been greatly enriched by new and old friends sharing there spaces with me. I am planning to be in Europe in '17 and think it would be a nice way to travel around there and get to know people and things I wouldn't have otherwise.

Interests

• i am interested in people and how they live

Music, Movies, and Books

I like to listen to new things. I enjoy Folk, Rock, Hip Hop, Punk, Nueva Cancion, Reggae, Jazz, Pop, Afro-Latino, Eastern European, Arabic, Classical, and making my own with friends.
Movies: 'Born in Flames' 'Never Ending Story' 'Troll 2' 'It's A Wonderful Life'
Books: 'Tao Te Ching' 'Illusions' 'Fifth Sacred Thing'
I get into many movies and books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Being part of a community/network/movement of people creating reclaimed housing, land projects, farms and gardens, medical collectives, alternative media, music, theater, and art, while standing with the Earth and against injustice.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: Guitar, mandolin, gardening
Share: Wild food gathering, radical history, music, physical labor for cool projects
Learn: Just about anything

What I Can Share with Hosts

A positive attitude. Labor(cooking, cleaning, painting, gardening/farming, odd jobs). Music( I travel with a mandolin). An openness to check out your cities, towns, farms, and forests.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, United States