CURRENT MISSION

Enjoy life while it lasts.

ABOUT ME

I was born and raised in Toronto, and moved to Montreal after high school. I ended up with a degree in history from Concordia University in 2007, then moved back to Toronto and managed a hotel for a year after. After Toronto, I participated on a six-month program with Canada World Youth in 2008, which took me to Nova Scotia for three months and then another three months in Indonesia. After coming home to Canada I realized that I had not sufficiently scratched my travel itch, and having been fascinated with Berlin throughout my undergrad, I moved there soon after returning from Indonesia where I spent a year working as a tour guide. I returned to Canada in the Fall of 2010 knowing I wanted to get my masters in history. I moved to Ottawa as I have a huge network of friends here, worked for two years at the Sheraton Hotel, and am now pursuing my graduate degree in history at the University of Ottawa for the 2012-2014 academic years. My course work finished in May 2013, and am currently researching and writing my thesis, which focusses on American slavery. I would consider myself easy going, although I have my peculiarities and faults. All I ask from people is that they respect diversity of opinion and give people a wide berth. I don't respond well when I'm feeling pressured or smothered, and appreciate people with the ability to see the larger picture that is life, and not necessarily get hung up on the issues of day to day. I am a gay man! I usually don't put that right out there but I've had problems in the past and don't expect travellers to have a problem with this. So I'm declaring it right now and if you have a problem then stay away. After all, you will be in my world if you're visiting me :-) so thanks!

PHILOSOPHY

I'm an extreme moderate! That may seem to be a contradiction, but I stand by the belief that moderation in all its forms leads to the greater good.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

With my all of my hosts so far, I have stocked their fridges with tons of food and alcohol and we have enjoyed countless nights of chat and good times. I have hosted twice, once for a three-week period and the other for three nights. You can see their reviews in my references section: look for NEWKIDINTOWN and Carlos.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've couchsurfed many times before although my profile doesn't reflect it. This is because my last courchsurfing account was created for both my ex boyfriend and I, and has since been deactivated. I have surfed in London, Amsterdam, Prague, Oslo, Munich and Nurnberg before, having had great experiences with all my hosts. The majority have given me keys to their apartments and even lent me their bikes. I have nothing but good things to say about my experiences with this community.

Interests

My interests include history of course, but to be a little more detailed, I have an interest in varying forms of coerced labour in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. I also love to bike, and cooking is a passion. Which means I'll probably cook for you haha any excuse to eat really.

• culture
• writing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• traveling
• cycling
• teaching
• history
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

My favourite movie of all time has to be 'I Heart Huckabees,' and the author I appreciate most is Naomi Klein. Her most recent work 'The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism' is work that I one day would like to follow. I have to say that I'm really out of date when it comes to music. I'm working on that, so maybe you'd care to bring in your own music and we can hook that up to my sound system.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have had a pretty adventurous life so far, having seen and done many things that I would never have dreamed of in my childhood. My education has provoked an interest in world culture, which has brought me across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, having lived and worked in both Indonesia and Germany.

Teach, Learn, Share

You share with me and I'll share with you. That's how we roll around here.

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