Hello everyone!

My name is Connor Dayton, I'm 22 years old and have been born and raised basically entirely in the city of Reno, Nevada in the USA. I'm currently an undergraduate student seeking a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics / Statistics from UNR (the University of Nevada, Reno.) I plan to graduate in Spring 2017, at which point it will be onto graduate school, hopefully in pursuit of a PhD.

Back home, I work as a math tutor for my university, but I have also worked as a grader of math assignments (a lot of my school and work revolves around math, as exciting as that makes me seem.)

For the first half of 2016 however, I will be studying abroad in Europe. I'm enrolled at Linnaeus University in Växjö, Sweden from mid-January to the very beginning of June. I'm primarily working on learning Swedish in my time here, as there aren't many math classes I haven't taken, and I want to improve my skills with foreign languages. When my semester is finished, I hope to get a great deal of exploring done throughout Europe before July, at which point I'll be returning to Reno.

Unfortunately, my current accommodations here in Växjö are rather strict / small, so I don't think I'll be able to provide lodging to any couchsurfers while I'm here. Hopefully I'll be able to be more hospitable when I return to Reno.

In terms of my personality, I like to think I'm a polite, patient, and empathetic person. I can be quite shy, depending on the situation, but I still somehow manage to make friends with almost everyone I talk to. I really want everybody to like everybody, and as a result I try very hard (sometimes too hard) to avoid conflict. I love to be helpful, just tell me how!

One last thing, which may or may not be relevant, but I will say anyway, in the interest of full disclosure. I was born with a mild case of a disorder known as Cerebral Palsy. As a result, my right arm is weaker and significantly less coordinated than my left, and tends to tense/"curl" up whenever I get distracted or stressed. I've gone to physical therapy for it basically as long as I can remember. I can do everything I need to in my day-to-day life, so I shouldn't need your assistance with anything, it just tends to take me longer to get organized or prepared for things. My right leg is also affected, but it's much less noticeable, and doesn't really impact my living at all. I don't think this will make any difference in my time on couchsurfing, but just to be safe I thought I'd write it down.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on couchsurfing in the hopes of aiding my travels throughout Europe. The idea of being given lodging by locals of all the places I hope to travel to is very appealing to me. It seems a great way to meet new, interesting people, and learn a significant amount about not only them, but also the place they live in, all while exploring the places I want to go throughout the world.

In addition, I would imagine that the people who are gracious enough to host complete strangers on a site like couchsurfing are a bit more open-minded and friendly than the average person, and that is the kind of person I'm always glad to become friends with. I like being able to say I've made friends in my travels, and couchsurfing seems a great way to make those friends.

Interests

Of course, as a college student, I like all the standard college student activities: partying (though I'm not a big fan of dancing), drinking, meeting new people, going on adventures, and just hanging out with friends.

Aside from those clichés, I also very much like school / learning. I'm one of the few people I know (at least back home) who actually really enjoys going to school and learning new things. I enjoy teaching people (as long as I myself am comfortable with what I'm teaching) and really like my job as a math tutor. I hope to get a doctorate degree of some kind in mathematics or statistics and pursue a career as a university professor.

In addition to my affinity for math / teaching / learning, my more ordinary interests include:
Animals, I really love all of them (but especially cats)

I currently have a radio show with the university in Växjö, which is something I've always wanted to do.

Skiing / swimming / hiking, though I'm not particularly athletic. I also used to run cross country, a few years ago.

I dabble in a few video-games, mainly PC, though not very many. I used to be much, much more passionate about them as a child.

I don't know if I should say writing, because I really, really don't like writing for school or anything like that. Yet, for some reason, whenever I fill out descriptions (like this one) or make posts / messages on social media, I always put too much thought and effort into them. They tend to come out incredibly long and unnecessarily detailed.

I also have been playing guitar for just over two years. I'm not very good, considering my arm and the fact that I knew absolutely nothing about music until I started playing, but I still enjoy it. Choosing to start playing was possibly the best decision I've ever made, and I'm glad I did. I prefer acoustic, especially classical guitars / music, and I have a much easier time fretting than I do strumming.

I love laughing, making good new friends, and especially laughing with new friends.

• animals
• cats
• writing
• books
• dancing
• running
• partying
• drinking
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• swimming
• communications
• teaching
• languages
• logic
• mathematics
• science
• statistics

Music, Movies, and Books

Oh man, I could go on and on about this...

Music: My favorite band for approx. eight years is Rise Against. I love them, and am incredibly excitable / passionate when it comes to talking about or listening to them.

My second favorite band is called The Airborne Toxic Event, and I'm also very prone to excited outbursts regarding them. Also a great band (though not quite as great as Rise Against)

Besides those two, some of my other favorite bands include: Weezer, The Killers, Brandon Flowers, The Fray, Sara Bareilles, and Breaking Benjamin.

I also really enjoy some stuff by: BOY, Trampled By Turtles, Flogging Molly, Regina Spektor, Green Day, Daft Punk, Vampire Weekend, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, though there are many more.

I realize I have a very strange, eclectic taste in music. I don't really question it.

Movies: Fight Club, The Shawshank Redemption, The Prestige, Drive, 2081, Interstellar are some favorites.

I also like Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil, Sweeney Todd, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Wet Hot American Summer, etc.

There's plenty more, but I'm bad at thinking of them.

Books: I don't read as much as I'd like to.
However, I have read all of A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) and I love them, I'm more than glad to talk about the show or the books wherever I am. I've also read a few other books by George R.R. Martin which I also enjoyed.

I'd say the author I enjoy reading the most is Kurt Vonnegut, though I've only read a few of his full-length novels, Hocus Pocus, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Galapagos, and one or two more I can't think of (it's been awhile.)

Apologies, this section isn't very interesting for how long it is, and it isn't even mentioning the different TV shows I like... (Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Community, Parks & Rec, Rick & Morty, many others)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Whew, tough question.

I've gotta say, camping in the Black Rock Desert (where Burning Man is held, though this wasn't at Burning Man.) Amidst insane dust storms, wind (the kind that can, and actually did, break our tents), and lightning storms, which came with a buildup of static electricity that made everyone's hair stand on end. All experienced alongside some of my favorite, most delightfully weird friends.

Even before the day was done, I thought it was my weirdest experience so far in life, and it just got weirder after I realized that.
It was the weirdest day I've ever had, no doubt in my mind.

What I Can Share with Hosts

First and foremost, I can (and would be happy to) provide assistance if someone is in need of assistance or tutoring regarding math.

I can help with: anything up to and including algebra, pre-calculus, calculus (differential, integral, and multivariate), statistics, mathematical logic, basics of proofs, probability theory, and maybe a few others.

Some of the more complex subjects in that list might require me to review some things online or in a textbook, but I'd still be glad to try. Unfortunately, I'm very bad at trigonometry. I'm willing to try to help, but I can't promise anything, it's definitely my weakest pre-university math subject.

I'd also be glad to help with English if you wish. I've been speaking it all my life, so I would hope I'm at least decent at it. I also am learning Swedish (just basics) and I remember a very small amount of Spanish from school (potentially more than Swedish, but still very little.)

If you need some proofreading or editing of a paper in English, I could give it a try. I'm good at spelling and vocabulary (things the Internet is also very good at), and I can also help in terms of reworking poorly phrased or awkwardly worded sentences. I should warn you, however, that I'm not the best at grammar. I study math, after all.

Aside from that, I'd be happy to share in good conversation!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, Finland, Ireland, Jamaica, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States