I grew up in a small town in upstate New York, lived in New York city for a year before beginning a three-year long journey in East Asia. I managed a hostel in Seoul, South Korea for a year and a half during that time. Through that I was able to meet so many people from all over the world.

When I was in Korea I lived on a vegetarian diet out of convenience and preference.

My last job I worked in Hawaii for six months next to volcanoes national park.

I'm traveling with my tent and sleeping bag— I love to sleep under the sky.

Currently on a trip from the UK to Japan by land and sea (mostly!)

I would describe myself as introspective and observant. My friends might describe me as funny and empathetic.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to experience new cultures and ways of life. Seeing the sights is cool, but I enjoy "local tourism." This means wandering anywhere/everywhere at all times of day (where safe) looking at the local supermarket, spending time sitting in the park. Getting a sense of how I might live had I been born someplace else. I want to meet people and understand life from their perspective, even if it's a only glimpse of something much greater.

Interests

Cooking, Running, Martial arts, Camping, Hiking, Dogs, Tea & Coffee culture, Literature, Eating, Sleeping, Folk culture, Folk music, Art film, Foreign film, independent film, Philosophy, Self-sustainability.

• dogs
• arts
• culture
• writing
• folklore
• fashion
• environment
• cooking
• coffee
• exercise
• running
• working out
• meditation
• gardening
• video games
• reading
• traveling
• live music
• jazz
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• martial arts
• geography
• history
• philosophy
• hitchhiking
• mountains
• eating
• cinema
• nature
• tea
• learning languages
• exploring
• maps
• night walks
• listening to music
• vegetables
• journaling
• moon gazing
• low budget travel
• sumo

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Many different genres. Jazz, jazz fusion, folk, progressive anything, ambient, experiemental, new wave, afro-pop, classical, bossa nova, blues, opera.
Pharaoh Sanders, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Moondog

Movies:
Anything from the Criteron collection. David Lynch is maybe my favorite director.

Books:
Le Mont Analogue, Roadside Picnic, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blood Meridian, Heart of Darkness, Inferno, most works of Junji Ito, plus more

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent a month through hiking the Lycian Way (Likia Yolu) in southern Turkey. The trails are made up of Roman foot paths going from village to village and passes by ancient ruins, many of which are unmarked in the wilderness.

Slept in an abandoned building behind McDonalds while hitchhiking in the Balkans.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share some stories of my travels if you are interested in that sort of thing. I also really enjoy listening to others, especially to hear about interests, hobbies and passions —whatever it may be. Working at the hostel meant becoming a good listener.

Unfortunately it has been a long time since I have cooked, but if we could cook something together that would be great, as I am a hands on learner in this regard.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nepal, Romania, Serbia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Korea, United States