Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I discovered CouchSurfing literally one week before setting off on 3 month a trip backpacking from London to Krakow and it's no exaggeration to say it changed my life, let alone the trip itself.

I don't know WHY anyone would travel any other way now. If the point of traveling is to submerse yourself in a different cultural experience there is no better way than CS. You just can't go into a travel agent and ask to go plum picking in a tiny French village, or sneak into rehearsals in a rural German theater, or find awesome bars in Berlin, or get pulled into a party full of Parisian musicians and writers and artists the DAY you arrive in Paris. Only CS can make this happen.

I have met so many beautiful people through CouchSurfing - people who I will keep in touch with as long as I live, some of whom I have continued to catch up with several times over the years - and became thoroughly addicted to this culture that serves to destroy FEAR and promote interaction, learning and just basic human generosity.

Interests

Filmmaking, Cinematography, Photography, HISTORY (particularly 19th and 20th century for some reason), Tibetan Arts and Culture, African (mainly Western and Eastern) arts and culture. Playing guitar. MUSIC.

I have collaborated with Sudanese refugees, Aboriginal Australians, Iraqi Musicians and a Tibetan folk singer friend on filmmaking projects. Constantly blown away by the strength, resilience, passion and creativity of some people who have lived through absolutely horrific circumstances and I love nothing more than helping them be heard. These are my favorite type of projects to work on

Music, Movies, and Books

BOOKS:
Pretty much anything written by Cormac McCarthy. 100 Years of Solitude is probably the most fun I've ever had reading a book. Otherwise mostly into histories and biographies of pretty much anyone or anything that happened during the 20th century seem to interest me.

MOVIES:
Pretty much 90% of anything Scorsese, Kurosawa, Haneke or P.T. Anderson have ever done. Otherwise La Haine, Hunger, The Battle of Algiers, Goodnight and Goodluck, The Thin Red Line and The Godfather(s)are all equally the best films ever made. When in not so serious a mood I watch School of Rock or Chicago at least once a year and absolutely love them :)

MUSIC:
This is a video I made of my mate Tenzin, a Tibetan folk singer performing one of his songs with an orchestra in Brisbane:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fclh-zavSMo
Look him up!!

And this is one of my bestest buds Ben. He is a genius:
http://www.myspace.com/bjmorriszonkle

Otherwise:
Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, David Bowie, Radiohead, Saul Williams, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, U2, David Bowie, The Black Keys, Bob Marley, Bright Eyes, Built to Spill, Cymande, The Doors, Fela Kuti, Gil-Scott Heron, Public Enemy, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, The White Stripes, Sharon Jones

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Waking up in Kibber Village in the Himalayas in 2005. Wandering through the mountain mist past people herding cattle & saying morning prayers in a tiny traditional Tibetan village without another tourist in sight..

Also ascending Rohtang & Kunzum pass in the Himalayas (on the roof of a jeep - not fit enough to climb it), the 2nd highest road pass in the world. A-ma-zing...

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach Cinematography at a couple different schools in Melbourne. Hit me up for a free CS lesson!

Also used to teach guitar privately.

I'm also excellent at losing things. Ask me how!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Denmark, France, India, Iraq, Kenya, Netherlands, Poland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Germany

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