CURRENT MISSION

Turning strangers into friends, one culture at a time.

ABOUT ME

Hey, I'm AL! I'm wacky, insightful, curious and energetic. I'm a native New Yorker that lives in Japan now. I left NYC for 12 years (in Philly and then in LA) and during that time I learned the ways and the joys of traveling. I recently moved to Japan to teach English, so a new chapter of adventures in my life has just begun!

I enjoy talking about my experiences and crazy stories, but even more I love listening to what makes people tick. The things that people have been through shape them and I believe that we can all learn from that, no matter what country or culture they come from. That's why I travel and it feels great to know that there's a community of people out there just like me.

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MY PHILOSOPHY:
Ask, Listen, Learn and Relate

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Opening up my home to surfers has definitely changed me. I really went all out when I hosted someone and gave them the "Al tour" of LA. It helped me to appreciate living there when I showed people the many parts of LA. And whether it was 2 days or 2 weeks, I was sometimes amazed by just how connected I felt with my surfer by the time they left. I feel like I gained a new true friend or, in some cases, a new sibling. Isn't that what this is all about??

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I joined in April of 2012 and here are the great people that I've stayed with and hosted so far:

Hosted:
1) Erwan Khatib from Paris
2) Mi Dan Nguyen from Vietnam (via Virginia)
3) Yohei Tsujinaka from Kusatsu, Japan
4) Theryn Bond from Memphis
5) Minmin Low from Singapore
6) Grace Toledo from Houston
7) Seungho Lee from Busan, S. Korea
8) Vance Long from Nanchang, China
9) Takashi & Shinji Hashimoto from Suita, Japan
10) Tommy Suen from Hong Kong & Antonio Guimaraes from Sao Paulo, Brazil
11) Andry from Jakarta
12) Brian Llewellyn and George Collings from Cardiff, Wales
13) Jerry Syu from Taipei

Surfed on the couch of:
1) Andy Phillipson in London
2) David Hung Kiat in London
3) Chang Tan in London
4) Matt in Phoenix
5) Grace Toledo in Houston
6) Laurence Mahe in New Orleans
7) David Brown in Atlanta
8) Francis Gravel and Anne-Frédérique Gendron in Montréal
9) Lawrence Cheng in Shanghai
10) Shingo Oikawa in Tokyo
11) Yohei Tsujinaka in Kusatsu, Japan
12) Seungho Lee in Busan, S. Korea
13) YoungHwan Oh in Seoul
14) Alex Hsu in Taipei
15) Jing Jing in Beijing
16) Patrick Xie in Shanghai
17) Monzurul Alam in Hong Kong
18) Vinh Nguyen in Berkeley, California
19) Jideki Iwashita in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
20) Fatima Abbas in Lake Havasu City, Arizona
21) Stacey Lake in Kansas City, Missouri
22) Bruce Amshel in Pittsburgh
23) Summer Paradise in Bali, Indonesia
24) Andry Green in Jakarta

Interests

Teaching English, Trains, Parkour, Big Cities, Gymnastics, Geography, Hiking, Photography and of course Traveling!

• photography
• hiking
• wrestling
• food
• parkour
• exploring
• trains

Music, Movies, and Books

I love R&B and Hip Hop!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Domestically: Driving across the country from LA to the East Coast twice was unforgettable! It really made me appreciate my country more.

Internationally: Spending a 6-week summer vacation in East Asia by myself was incredible beyond words. I learned so much and met so many great people. It was a step outside of my comfort zone, but one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life.

visited 18 states (36%)Create your own visited map of The United States or Free ipad travel guide

Teach, Learn, Share

When you visit a city, visit the good AND the bad. That way you have the whole picture and you can really appreciate that city.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, France, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Japan, United States

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