Hello everyone !

My name is Dane, I am a 26 year old American graduate in Epidemiology from the Université Paris-Saclay. My girlfriend Yasmine (a 23-year old law student at the Sorbonne) and I are preparing to spend a couple of weeks exploring Portugal together before we start a long-distance relationship, as I move to the Republic of Congo for work in August.

We currently live in Paris and have spent most of our relationship in confinement so we want to fully enjoy the two weeks we're going to have together in July meeting new people and exploring new places. We are both very sociable, outgoing and quite independent people. We love to cook for people, and have a variety of dishes in my cuisine arsenal (some of my favorites to make are Egyptian, Tunisian, Nigerian and Indian).

I enjoy the type of music you hear in NPR segment transitions, rock climbing, long distance running, geopolitics, learning languages, discussing the history of the Christian church and the influence on American culture.

Yasmine enjoys reading and discussing politics and history. When she's not studying, she works out and she recently started doing yoga. She loves dance and she plans on learning belly-dancing and pole-dancing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To experience the lovely country of Portugal and make new friends in the world! Yasmine and I have both moved out from our homelands to study abroad and have gained a great awareness of the importance of meeting new people and always going out of our own way to make frends from all over the world.

I have hosted travelers before living in the United States and always love an opportunity to broaden my perspectives and learn from interesting people!

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Yasmine is currently reading "The Return" by Dulce Maria Cardoso. I have been a little busy with my masters defense but I am listening to "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" (with a critical ear) by T. E. Lawrence.

I love all sorts of music! Currently I (Dane) am listening to Link Wray, Tinariwen, Peter Gabriel, and Ali Farka Touré.

Film: My girlfriend and I recently saw a coming-of-age drama about Che Guevara called the "Motorcycle Diaries" and a great documentary about the Egyptian revolution called "The Square".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once "went viral" for an ad I wrote on Craigslist! My story went all around the world, I even had my fiend in England call me up to say that he saw my face in his local news.

Teach, Learn, Share

English, American Culture, the illegal wildlife/bushmeat trade!
French, Arabic (Tunisian), North African history, different types of cuisine!

What I Can Share with Hosts

A delicious meal, a drink, and some thoughtful conversation!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Haiti, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, France, Tunisia, United States