Just tryin' to avoid the rat-race by never starting. Travel, then travel some more. Laugh often.

About me:
34 years round this sphere of sights to see and things to do, currently living in Chicago.

I've lived in over a dozen cities abroad, bouncing around like a nomad-on-crack for my 20s. Finally relocated to Chicago to grab some businesses, get bored of the city, and move on and often for greener pastures. Working on getting some projects off the ground. Spent the last 6 years building large-scale art, but kinda worn out on that front. Starting a Disability-Focused Tourism Agency currently, because my other 3 companies get lonely.

I've spent the last half decade working with the United Nations, AIESEC, and various governments as a disability advocacy consultant, but I've decided to change my approach and focus instead on small focused projects. Now I do a handful of things in Chicago, am working on getting a disability tourism agency off the ground, and am always down to swap stories, hang with foreigners, or talk about my city.

I move fast, I laugh often, and I mean well, so try not to take anything I say too seriously. I love to travel, have been to 30+ countries, and want to know what you love to do, what you'd like to do in Chicago, and how I can help.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

How can you not love CSing.

It's like speed-dating for friends and people from other cultures. I host, I get hosted, I meet, I entertain, I cook, I accompany.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
Best? Worst? Average-est? Come on couchsurfing, what the hell does 'couchsurfing experience' mean..

I'd say first that comes to mind was my first time CSing in Brazil. We had barely contacting this guy in Rio das Ostras, a fishing village on the coast of Brazil, to see if we could use his house as a launching pad for the jazz and blues festival going on that weekend. He replied with a casual no problem, explaining that there were already a few people there, but he had space. We arrived to 40 of the most amazing people from all over the world staying in his house, in tents in the backyard, hammocks on the trees, it was a tour de force CSing story, and I'm so happy it was my first.
My spot for the night was under the kitchen table, but that didn't matter because the friends I met that night were worth the bloodshot eyes the next morning. It showed me how traveling is fantastic, but meeting travelers, sharing the experiences, and giving for the sake of giving is what couchsurfing is all about. Since then, I've been an avid couchsurfer, host, and general participant in weekly CS meetups in any city I go.

I've also used CS'ing as a consumer in dozens of cities, and consistently have a great time with it. Going on CS-host in Chicago for 6 years now.

Interests

Yoga, self-improvement, travel, , good conversation and even better wine (or even just wine, I suppose, I'm not picky), skiing/snowboarding, rock-climbing, traveling, backpacking, scuba/snorkeling, scotch, music, reading, Fire poi/staff (fire got capitalized there because fire is cool.) writing, and swapping stories.

I love to try new things and would love to see what an average day is for you.

• culture
• writing
• festivals
• cooking
• wine
• yoga
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• blues
• fishing
• backpacking
• scuba diving
• snorkeling
• skiing
• snowboarding
• rock climbing

Music, Movies, and Books

Music
Funk. For heaven's sake, more funk. You don't have enough funk in your life. That's not a judgement, none of us have enough funk in our lives. The struggle is real, so let's funkify eachother's lives.
As long as its got a beat I can get down to it, but I've recently added more electronic music to my frankenstein's-monster-of-a-music-collection, with Robot Heart at Burning Man being the obvious bar from which all else is compared.
I have a fiery passion for Radiohead, love some Sublime or RHCP, Dispatch, Citizen Cope, Kings of Leon, James Brown, Parliament, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Primus, Come on, are you even reading these anymore? This is the part of the friend-speed-dating I could do without. Let's go to the next category.

Movies
Oh man, not enough space here. The worse the better, but to name a few Primer, Fear and Loathing, Eternal Sunshine, Lockout, Gladiator, Fight Club, Waking Life. The Fountain's good, The Prestige is better, and when Kate met Leopold ain't bad. Got a thing for Hugh Jackman, apparently..

Books
I love to read. I'll read just about anything but prefer historical fiction. I'll tear through the occasional Star Wars book or two (or two-hundred, you caught me) but love to read just about anything. I got a harddrive that wants to get to know your book recommendations, and he's real bad at foreplay.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Spent all but 8 weeks somewhere other than home in 2022.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach -
- I own two gyms in the area, so if you're in town and wanna hit a workout or have a private personal training session, we can do that.
- Can show you how to make your Resume not Suck.
- Can show ya how to make a cocktail or 700, or cook some shizzle.

I am learning Spanish and Norwegian at the moment, so would love to practice!

Can teach you English, as well, or just practice it with you.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A temporary home, a shower, a towel. A meal, a no-nonsense experience. A candid, forthright personality who's down to show you around the city or equally down to give you the spare room lofted bed and then I'll piss right off. Sometimes you need time alone when traveling, and never get it. I get it, and have it, and you can get that sweet sweet fortress of solitude here, if it's easy and what you need.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Macao, Malta, Mexico, Norway, Oman, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States

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