I'm an American living in Berlin. Ever since I was a little kid I've had a strong sense of wanderlust. I always wanted to live abroad. My first move was a baby-step: I left New York City for San Francisco. But after spending some years there I figured it was time to take a bigger leap and so I set my sights on Europe. The decision was a powerful one. Since I've been here I've met incredible people and I've shared amazing experiences that I won't soon forget. When making such a move, you learn things about yourself that you can't easily learn in any other way. It teaches you a few things about self-reliance (while also teaching you how to lean on others), connection (and also isolation), flexibility.

I majored in Sociology and Philosophy, so I enjoy discussions about human beings, groups, abstract ideas and concepts. I'm also curious to hear the ideas of others and explore feelings related to these ideas.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

There are experiences out there more interesting and more meaningful than what hotels or AirBnB's can offer. Connection, exchanging stories and making memories is what life is all about. Couchsurfing seems like a beautiful way to make friends all across the globe.

Exposure to different cultures and different people with different ideas and different perspectives, ideally, results in a more well-rounded worldview; one that's more empathic, compassionate, and tolerant. I want to participate in this exchange.

“Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people.”

Interests

• arts
• writing
• literature
• photography
• music festivals
• burningman
• yoga
• meditation
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• hiking
• camping
• philosophy
• sociology
• food
• nature
• spirituality
• national parks
• health
• mindfulness
• san francisco
• ontology

Music, Movies, and Books

So much music:

Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Shuggie Otis, Hailu Mergia, The Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Michael Hurley, Hope Sandoval, Os Mutantes, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Al Green, Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, Mulatu Astatke, Hank Williams, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Issac Hayes, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marty Robbins, Michael Nau, Songs: Ohia, Spacemen 3, Funkadelic, Ghetto Brothers, Gábor Szabó, Django Reinhardt, Iron & Wine, Joan Baez, The Clash, Curtis Mayfield, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, O Terno, Los Destellos, The Memories, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Kevin Morby, Kurt Vile, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Pavement, Serge Gainsbourg, The Beach Boys, Tom Waits, Ernest Tubb, Lonnie Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Timi Yuro, Betty Davis, Sly and the Family Stone, The Limiñanas, Christine McVie, Don Cherry, James Brown, Kiki Gyan, Cymande, Daniel Johnston, Nick Cave, CAN, Dusty Springfield, El Büho, El Michaels Affair, Etta James, Habib Koité, Bombino, Flamin' Groovies, Françoise Hardy, Townes Van Zandt, The Wailers, Yusef Lateef, William Onyeabor, Random Rab, Psychic Ills, Nightmares on Wax, Les Rallizes Dénudés, Jim James, Elizabeth Cotton, Brightblack Morning Light

Movies:
Vanilla Sky, Inglorious Bastards, Hateful Eight, Momento, Taxi Driver, Samsara, Heart of Glass, Repulsion, Knife in the Water, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Prometheus, A Touch of Zen, Halloween, The Thing, Evil Dead, The Room, Troll 2, Gravity, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Books:
A Farewell to Arms, Frankenstein, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, Too Loud a Solitude, The Stranger, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Love in the Time of Cholera, The Satanic Verses, Blood Meridian, Man's Search for Meaning, The Moon is Down, Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Swann's Way, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Lolita, As I Lay Dying, The Alchemist, Perdido Street Station, The Sirens of Titan, Burning in Water Drowning in Flame, Walden, Paradise Lost, De Profundis, Ishmael, Metamorphosis, Truman Capote, Anton Chekhov, Alice Munro, Jorge Luis Borges, Mutant Message Down Under

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once fell out of a tree and broke my spine without realizing it.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you some basic chords on a guitar, or the right way to peel a banana. I'm generally open to learning whatever someone is trying to teach me. I think I'm an open book in most regards; there aren't many things I'm unwilling to share.

Music and book recommendations are items of special interest to me.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, discussions, music, whatever bits of wisdom I've gained so far.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Northern Ireland, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States