My parkour training and the parkour community has really influenced my perspective on life. I had known of these ideas before starting but training has changed that abstract understanding into a more concrete knowledge.

The best things in life are even better when shared with your loved ones.

The best gifts are the ones you give, not receive.

Every stranger is just a friend you haven't made yet.

Everything in life is cyclical and the only constant is change. Enjoy life when everything is going well and if you are struggling, don't worry- this too shall pass.

Help others, the best repayment is a heartfelt smile.

There are two types of fear- one that holds you back from achieving your full potential and the other that keeps you safe. Learn to distinguish one from the other.

The smallest action is worth all of the unacted upon imaginations in the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love couchsurfing because it allows me to meet amazing people anywhere that I travel and it lets me meet and help travelers when they visit my city. I've always believed that the vast majority of people in the world are awesome and each of my experiences through CS have confirmed that.

Interests

I've been practicing parkour for the past 10 years but I also love videography, photography, painting, cooking and learning languages!

I like pushing myself to try new things, especially if I don't expect myself to like them which is why I decided to take a Spanish art history class several years ago. I used to think that a lot of art (in general, not Spanish art specifically) was silly, but now that I understand the history and the social context of the art works better I'm fascinated. Now one of my favorite artists is Goya. I can really connect with the duality that I've seen within his body of art, spanning from the whimsically utopic to the depths of the darkness of the human character. I also think he is a freaking boss for drawing the Caprichos and other critics of the Spanish state and church during the inquisition. Only a total bad ass could do that without being murdered. I'm especially thankful for having taken that art class because it inspired me to begin painting!

One of my life dreams is making art that moves people and that I can unabashedly present. I can't decide if the former or latter will be harder. At the moment I best express myself artistically through videography and photography but I greatly enjoy salsa dancing as well as neo-impressionist and expressionist painting.

• arts
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• painting
• drawing
• art history
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Recently I've been listening to a lot of Brazilian music to help myself learn more Portuguese. My favorite artists are Anitta, Lenine, Vanessa da Mata, Roberta Sa, Marisa Monte, Aline Morales, Maria Rita, Natiruts, Charlie Brown Jr and O Rappa.

The non-Brazilian artists I've been listening to recently include Kendrick Lamar, Carly Rae Jepsen (Emotion is an amazing album), Third Eye Blind, The Weeknd (The Trilogy is his best work but his more recent albums are good too), The Internet, Toro y Moi, etc. I also grew up listening to a lot of Japanese music even though I don't speak a word of the language so don't be afraid to recommend some songs or artists even if I have no chance at understanding the lyrics!

I've never been an avid movie watcher. If I've seen a movie it's generally because my friends dragged me out to the theaters. I'd love to watch more movies while I'm in Brazil though, it seems like a fun way to work on my Portuguese :D.

I've been reading Coisas Frageis, a collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman, in Portuguese which has been a lot of fun! My favorite part of reading it is when I get caught up in the action of the story and forget that I'm reading in a foreign language that I'm still learning. I'm hoping that I'll start incorporating some of the vocabulary into my spoken repertoire very soon

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I finally met one of my Spanish language exchange friends in real life and we explored lots of places in and around Quito! Video of that experience here- https://youtu.be/C_97mYv8Etc

Stood at the top of the Playa de las Catedrales in Spain during high tide marveling at the power of the ocean.
Video of that experience here- https://youtu.be/f3_Ldy8IhbQ

Did flips off the bridge from "Jaws" on Martha's Vineyard
Video of that experience here- https://youtu.be/j-lGbMPXylc

Teach, Learn, Share

I love helping people learn how to speak English! If you have any questions about pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary or learning methods just ask and I'll do my best to help :D. We can correct your CS profile if there are any mistakes in there too. I also love talking about culture in the USA and my home region! I'm also more than happy to teach you how to do Parkour or shoot and edit videos and photos.

I would love to learn as much as possible about Brazilian culture, society and history. I'm currently most interested in learning how to cook typical Brazilian dishes but if there's anything Brazilian that you absolutely love then I'm dying to hear about it!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Ecuador, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, Spain, United States