CURRENT MISSION

To discover the recipe for adventure...while keeping my sanity as a student at UC Irvine..

ABOUT ME

I've taken a break from my journeys to be a student at UC Irvine.

I grew up in San Diego, started traveling outside of America a couple years ago when I was 18, and since then I've become addicted. Even when I hate it (like when saying goodbye to amazing people) I can't stop doing it. The whole world feels like my home now, (which is a good and bad thing).

I don't really know what kind of person I am, I just try to be a good one.

Random facts: I can grow a freakishly large beard. I cannot whistle. I hate celery. I love coincidences. I wish I could control time. I don't call my mom enough. I always lose my shoes. I can make some damn good chile con carne. Corn nuts are disgusting. I think tequila tastes good. I've never broken a bone.

Hats look ugly on me. I wish I had a big curly moustache. I used to lie about my age. When I was little I had a crush on Natalie Portman. I have a motorcycle back home. The best beer I've ever had was in Prague. I enjoy a good UFC match (my mom got me into it). I suck at sports, and I suck at art, but I like watching both. I'm good at math. (I wish I didn't hate it). I love cooking. My favorite color is purple. My favorite animal is the owl. I can do a pretty good french accent.

I am a dual-citizen. Half my family speaks Spanish, but I don't. >_< I've been in 2 taxi crashes. I like free things. I could surf when I was younger...but I haven't tried it in a while. Sushi is amazing.

And I really really want to sail across an ocean.

PHILOSOPHY

"€œWhen I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
- Abraham Lincoln

Life is all about who you know! The people around you really make the adventure. Traveling is one of the best things a person can do, it opens your mind to diverse opinions and cultures, helps you see yourself as a citizen of the WORLD (as cliche as that sounds), and it gives you an amazing sense of freedom!

"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world."
-Freya Stark

Sometimes I feel like an ambassador for the teenagers to the adults, like I am on a mission to show the world that age is often severely overrated.

As far as couchsurfing is concerned, I think it can be an amazing tool if used correctly. The most wonderful experiences are ones with mutual respect and realistic expectations of each other. I don't expect my couchsurfers to do anything for me, but when they do it is always appreciated. I don't expect my hosts to go out of their way for me, but it's always a pleasant surprise when they do.

Oh and by the way...if you are going to make a CS profile, please don't decline everyone who isn't a beautiful woman.... some of us guys are out in the cold rain wasting our time sending you couch requests, and you probably belong on e-harmony or match.com, not couchsurfing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I try to couchsurf wherever I go... it's been the start of many good stories, friendships, and adventures for me...

Krakow Gathering 2011, Vienna Calling 2011...whatever happens to be going on where I'm at...

Interests

I'm not a photographer, but i like to take photos...mostly because I usually travel alone and need something to keep me sane.

The things I think have always and will always interest me are: Traveling, and people you meet while traveling. I travel more for the people than for the places...

Look up Humans of New York! Brilliant photographer on Facebook. He takes photos of random individuals on the streets of New York, briefly sharing some wisdom from or a short story about the individual. I'm not a writer, but if I could write a book, it would be a compilation of the craziest stories from backpackers worldwide. We all have a story worth being heard!

Shawn Hoebeck | Create your badge

• animals
• arts
• writing
• books
• coloring
• cooking
• beer
• traveling
• sailing
• sports
• mathematics
• religion
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music list would take me forever, I enjoy sharing artists with others and learning new ones.

Currently really into electronic, house, trap, as well as the chill stuff from artists like sigur ros, iron and wine, etc. All depends on my mood.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sorry I can't just do one....

I rode in a helicopter over Aso-san volcano! (ps: its green inside the caldera).

Ran a 50k in the mountains near my hometown in San Diego.

Lived and went to school for 6 months in Beijing.

Biked (as in bicycle) the east coast of South Korea.
Also biked (again, bicycle) around Kyushu, Japan.

Rode a 50cc motorcycle across Japan. (Without a license!) It's bigger than you'd think...

Ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain!!

Hitchhiked around Turkey, then from Istanbul --> Sofia --> Belgrade. Also hitchhiked from Budapest to Krakow and back.

Hitchhiked from Berlin to Pamplona, Spain (through Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Bordeaux).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States

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