CURRENT MISSION

Learn Arabic

ABOUT ME

I grew up in Cincinnati and have been in Chicago for 16 years. My career is in environmental sustainability and I help destroy greenhouse gases to fight climate change. I have two younger siblings. I love sharing stories and music with people. I am outgoing, respectful, and passionate about all that I do. Normally a night owl but that can change if I am on vacation! I hope to be my own boss someday and to travel to every corner of the world.

PHILOSOPHY

*Trust your gut (figuratively + gastronomically)
*Respect the environment—it is the only one we have
*Everyone has something they can teach you

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Every time I meet someone on CS it's like I've known them for a long time. People are generally very open minded and easy to get along with. Sharing with other humans is a natural tendency that people have since tribal times when we had to support one another in order to survive. Using modern technology (CS platform) we should recondition that tendency, since there can be positive outcomes from interaction and collaboration!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had successful CS experiences in Paris and Philadelphia
I have hosted people from: Mexico, Belgium, England, USA, China, Hungary, Taiwan

Interests

Photography, DJing, trying new foods, green building, real estate, sharing economy, hiking

• photography
• environment
• traveling
• electronic music
• golf
• sustainability
• real estate

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all music but mostly listen to electronic genres now that I'm involved with DJing and promoting events in Chicago (the birthplace of House music!)
Favorite artists: Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin, Daft Punk, J Dilla, A Tribe Called Quest, Little Brother, Eric Prydz, Mos Def, Mat Zo, Nujabes, Nas, Beck, Richie Hawtin, Nirvana, Above & Beyond, Dusky, Moby, Carl Cox, Scuba, Josh Wink, Sasha, Digweed, Bicep (www.soundcloud.com/beauxtrax)

Books: The Holy Quran, Dilla Time, The 4-Hour Work Week, The Giver, Brave New World

Movies: Fight Club, The Matrix, Amelie, Traffic, anything by Scorcese/Aronofsky/Tarantino

TV: Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sherlock, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rick & Morty, Bojack Horseman

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I sang a barbershop quartet version of the USA National Anthem at NFL 🏈 games with 3 friends in front of 50,000 people!

Also hiking the Camino Inka (Peru), the Torres del Paine Circuit (Chilean Patagonia), and the Tiger's Nest Monastery (Bhutan).

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you: digital photography; Spanish language; how to golf or DJ
I can share: my life experiences and travels
I want to learn: your language, customs, interests

What I Can Share with Hosts

Small gift, music, photographs, fun stories, philosophy

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bahamas, Belgium, Bhutan, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Haiti, Iceland, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, India, United States