Kia ora! I'm a nursing assistant and filmmaker from San Francisco, California. Right now, I'm a Thomas J. Watson fellow, traveling around the world studying elder care in nursing homes. Stories about the human condition fascinate me, and they can be found absolutely anywhere from your backyard to the other side fo the world. Meeting new people and seeing new places is always an important goal of mine; I'm the sort of person who will have a drink with the chefs in the restaurant kitchen if the back door is open. When I'm not assisting old people or making movies, I love to workout, experiment in the kitchen and enjoy a cold drink on a night out.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As I work in nursing homes around the world, I'm able to absorb the stories of so many wonderful seniors. However, I also want to meet and become friends with people of all walks of life and ages. Couchsurfing is a wonderful community that fosters the growth of relationships between compassionate human beings from all over the world. This opportunity especially excites me here in New Zealand, since I'll be visiting cities all across the country, from Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, to New Plymouth, Queenstown, and Gore. I'm also looking forward to hosting when I return home to San Francisco to continue to foster this awesome space.

Interests

• cooking
• beer
• movies
• music
• rugby
• medicine
• nursing

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies) Goodwill Hunting, Catch Me If You Can, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Grizzly Man

Television) Avatar the Last Airbender, Drake and Josh

Music) Hip Hop and Alternative Rock (Gorillaz, The Killers, Tory Lanez, Denzel Curry, Breaking Benjamin), but really pretty much anything except country pop

Books) Being Mortal (sparked my interest in elder care), absolutely any book by Haruki Murakami

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

During my semester studying human medicine in Denmark, I spent two weeks travelling with my friend Nick to see my distant Italian relatives in Le Marche. I was nervous, since I don't speak any Italian and they did not speak English. The trip ended up being one of the most valuable experiences of my life. Wonderful people, some of the best food you can find, stunning landscapes. I was able to visit the family site at the cemetery, a bucket list item of my grandfather, and was able to participate in Italian conversations after a few days.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happy to cook or share a meal and some drinks and check out the town. Looking forward to the conversation and making new friends from around the world.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Chile, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, New Zealand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, Peru, United States