CURRENT MISSION

Transcending the fear in this world and engaging the love. My partner and I are moving to New Mexico where I will work towards studying at the Upaya Zen Center.

ABOUT ME

What I'm up to these days: Hello world! I'm Colin. My partner Kat and I are moving out to New Mexico from Ann Arbor (a small, liberal college town in Michigan, if you don't know it). We're looking to get on our feet as fast and as well as we can when we get to town (hopefully Santa Fe area) and we are trying to find awesome people to share stories, ideas, and hopefully new adventures with. So, we are also certainly looking for places to stay when we arrive and (quickly) find a rental/more permanent place to be. We come with a lot of thankfulness and longing to help in any way we can to express it. We look forward to meeting you, new friends!

About me, as myself and I: Well, I'm 24 and have learned a lot about myself but will always still be figuring out a lot. What I do know is that I have passion for understanding the Universe and the Self, for being of service to others, feeding the planet, evolving beyond systems of fear and control, and living and working hard! I like running through the Red Woods, getting lost in Istanbul or Vancouver, playing music with friends and strangers, writing crazy stories (living crazy stories too!), and finding all the treasures each person and place has to offer. I believe that there is beauty and goodness everywhere and the more we look for it and focus on it, the more we can live in it.

PHILOSOPHY

An open mind, a big heart, and a gracious soul can get you around the world and write the pages of the best stories.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My friend Kyle and I first used couchsurfing when we moved to Seattle a few years ago. We found wonderful people who helped us get on our feet and their generosity was inspirational. Unfortunately, I had to move back to Ann Arbor shortly after we got our own place. Where I'm living now is a bit out of the way and people haven't been staying here, but Kyle has gone on to host dozens of people back in Seattle and shares the best stories with me. I'm looking forward to living in Santa Fe and hopefully hosting some more!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Like I said, my friend and I are eternally grateful to our hosts in Seattle (Tiffany even invited us to stay several more days until we found a place to live!). Previously, we had taken a trip to Colorado that got slightly boggled and we ended up thrust into our first couchsurfing experience, which was fantastic and became our favorite way to explore new places and meet new people.

Interests

Spiritual growth/awakening, people, social/political activism, feeding people/food justice, music, writing, literature of all kinds, philosophy, organic farming, strange movies, traveling, finding new and interesting souls!

• arts
• writing
• literature
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• running
• movies
• traveling
• music
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: No Death No Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh, The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer, Rilke's Book of Hours, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Nature, The Archivist's Story, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Slaughterhouse Five, Paradise Lost, Dracula, Wide Sargasso Sea, Dreaming in Cuban.
Music: Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, La Dispute, Brandi Carlyle, Bob Dylan, Sixto Rodriguez, The White Stripes, Gogol Bordello, Flogging Molly, Arcade Fire, LCD Sound System, The Airborne Toxic Event, Manchester Orchestra, Alt J, The Beatles, Cake, The Cranberries, Cold War Kids, The Cure, James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, The John Butler Trio, MGMT, Modest Mouse, The Pixies, Queen, Tell Them We're Doctors.
Movies: The Rules of Attraction, Velvet Goldmine, Naked Lunch, Casablanca, and bunch of others that I'm sure you know and wouldn't be surprised by,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I backpacked through Europe in 2009, going from Nuremberg, Germany, through Italy and Greece, and ending in Istanbul. Getting to see so much of the world and meet so many interesting people is one of the biggest treasures of my life,

Teach, Learn, Share

Music, writing, traveling, spiritual growth/awakening, philosophy, history, cooking, farming, beer brewing--that's a few of things I can both teach/share with others what I know and that I long to learn from others about! The exchange of knowledge and experience is one of my favorite pastimes and I can't wait for more opportunities!

What I Can Share with Hosts

One of my favorite things to be is useful. Whether that means working with my hands, sharing knowledge or inspiring words, or just being a cheery and supportive presence, I love to help out. I can help with anything practical from home repairs to running errands, help on art projects, or just share stories and discuss awesome things to come. How can I help?

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Philippines, United States