Hi guys! My name's Dylan, I'm from Los Angeles, California (specifically a suburb outside of the city called Santa Clarita) and I recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara. I studied Biopsychology, specifically the way that drugs affect the brain, but also find myself with a passion for film and graphic design. In Fall 2015, I was studying abroad in France at l'Université de Lyon, and decided to take three months off from university afterwards to go on a Europe travel extravaganza! I have quite a curious and enthusiastic personality, and I'm always ready to meet new people and see what I can learn from them. :)

(feel free to message me with corrections to my translations below, I love to learn!)

Hola a todos! Me llamo dylan, soy de Los Ángeles, California (específicamente un barrio que se llama Santa Clarita) y me gradué recientemente de la universidad de California, Santa Bárbara. Estudié biopsicologia, específicamente la manera en que drogas afectan el cerebro, pero también tengo un pasión para las películas y diseño gráfico. En otoño de 2015, estudié en Francia a la universidad de Lyon, y después decidé vacacionar de universidad por tres meses para viajar por todo Europa! Soy un muchacho curioso y entusiasto, y estoy siempre listo a conocer nueva gente y aprender de ellos. :)

Bonjour à tous! Je m'appelle Dylan, je suis de Los Angeles, Californie (précisément une ville que s'appelle Santa Clarita), et je viens d'être diplômé de l'université de Californie, Santa Barbara. Mes études sont de biopsychologie, plus précisément la façon que drogues affectent le cerveau, mais j'ai aussi un passion pour film et programmes graphiques. En l'automne de 2015, j'étais un étudiant à l'université de Lyon III, et après j'ai décidé prendre des vacances sur tout d'Europe pour trois mois! Je suis un gar curieux et enthousiaste, et je suis toujours prêt à rencontre de gens nouveau et apprendre de leurs aventures. :)

Ciao raga! Mi chiamo Dylan, sono di Los Angeles (specificamente una piccola città chiamata Santa Clarita) e mi sono recentemente laureato di la università di California Santa Barbara, dove ho studiato biopsicologia, in particolare il modo in cui le droghe influenza il cervello, ma ho anche un passione per film e per disegno grafico! In autunno 2015, ho studiato in Francia all'università di Lyon, e ho deciso di lasciare la scuola per 3 mese per viaggiare in Europa! Ho una personalità molto curioso e avventuroso, e sono sempre pronto per incontrare persone nuove, e per scoprire cosa posso imparare da loro. :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Before I left for France, one of my friends at UCSB recommended Couchsurfing to me as a great website to meet new people and find places to stay around the world, and everything about that sounded fantastic to me!

In addition, I have a passion for learning new things in general. One of my favorite quotes is from Bill Nye: "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't." That alone is enough to inspire me to meet as many new people as I can.

Interests

Since I was a boy, I've always found myself interested in generally new or novel experiences. I've noticed about myself that as the years have passed, my desire to see and to learn new things has only strengthened. I guess if I were to make a list of my top 5 interests, they would be:

1) Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology
2) Evolutionary Biology/Psychology
3) Biology in general
4) Graphic Design, with an emphasis in typography
5) Film Editing and Cinematography

Of course, I find that my interests tend to organize themselves into more of a web than a list of individual entities. However, those 5 are topics that I will find my mind wandering to on a daily basis. In addition, one of my own personal mantras has to do with growing and connecting with people, and learning all of the things they can teach me!

• books
• design
• graphic design
• running
• drinking
• traveling
• cycling
• rock climbing
• biology
• neuroscience
• psychology
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

There aren't very many musical genres that I don't enjoy. Some of my favorite artists are:
Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel, Ratatat, Tame Impala, Eagles, Caravan Palace, Arctic Monkeys, Billy Joel, Bob Marley, The Doors, and The Beatles. I also have a particular soft spot for Led Zeppelin.

As far as movies are concerned, I'm a big fan of comedy and animated films, but lots of times I find that I prefer intense action-thrillers or classic old films like Hitchcock or Chaplin. Some of my favorites are:
Interstellar, Wayne's World, Modern Times, Hugo, Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain, How to Train Your Dragon (1 and 2), and mostly all Disney Pixar films.

My favorite type of book has always been fantasy. When I was a kid, my favorite series of books were hands-down the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. It's a series of stories about a large group of forest creatures dwelling in Redwall Abbey, a large kingdom of sorts with an incredibly vibrant history, as is depicted in the series. No other series of books (except perhaps Harry Potter) has been able to engross me so strongly in its magical world. In addition, I've recently been enjoying science fiction novels, and I'm currently looking for new recommendations!
As far as nonfiction is concerned, I LOVE self-improvement books. Within the last few years, I've done something of a complete overhaul of my flaws and improved myself as a person. I attribute a lot of the success of this improvement to the help of books like "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When traveling abroad in Malta, I crossed the do not pass sign with my friends and sat on the edge of the Azure Window! (May she rest in peace)

Teach, Learn, Share

MINIATURE SCIENCE LESSON!

Do you know what is happening inside our brains when we drink alcohol?

Alcohol, systematically named ethanol, is a very small molecule, so it has the ability to pass through something called the Blood-Brain Barrier, which is a type of blood vessel separating our brain from all of our other blood vessels. The Blood-Brain Barrier generally acts as a filter of sorts for foreign substances, because if all of the substances running through our bloodstream at any given time were to come into our brains, we would be overwhelmed. Only very small molecules, or molecules being transported by special messenger molecules, are able to pass. Ethanol is one of the very small molecules that can pass through this barrier.

Once inside the brain, ethanol molecules interact with two different kinds of receptors in our brain. These two types of receptors are called GABA and glutamate receptors. GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter: in other words, it acts as the body's general-purpose "off switch." Glutamate is the opposite: it acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter, the "on switch." Essentially, all ethanol does is make the GABA receptors more active, and it makes the glutamate receptors less active.

What this means is that when you drink alcohol, your brain will experience less inhibition. In other words, you won't keep yourself from doing or saying things you otherwise would have!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I hope to be able to offer hosts a friendly and respectful experience. I don't take up much space, and I like to leave places looking better than when I found them as a sign of gratitude to my host. In addition, as an aspiring scientist and academic, I am absolutely IN LOVE with teaching people new things about the way their mind works, so they can use it themselves, or so they can teach it to their friends!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Netherlands, United States