CURRENT MISSION

decolonizing through teaching and learning

ABOUT ME

My name is Juan and I am from the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently I work in the field of Education and am really enjoying my experience. Everyday I think about how fortunate and blessed I am to be where I am at that moment and to have accomplished so much with the help of others. I consider myself to be an honest, respectful, and sincere person and try to show this of me in my everyday experiences with others. I believe that humility is a virtue that is difficult to see within yourself and others. It is one of the strongest expressions of love, love for yourself and your surroundings.

PHILOSOPHY

Recognize the simple and true beauty in everything and everyone. Respect all people and points of view because each of us has a different story to tell and a different history we stem from. Listen and Learn from everything and everyone, it is easy to let someone else know what you have learned and even easier and beautiful to share and hear what someone else can teach you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to host travelers and visit others learning and teaching.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Most of my experience in Couchsurfing comes from the 6 months I spent in Brazil. I was able to Couchsurf in a variety of homes and meet a variety of people and I must say it made my time in Brazil really special. Meeting locals and learning about their countries from them made me feel like I was more than just a tourist. Thank you to all of those that hosted me and those that I will be hosted by in the future.

Interests

I am very interested in learning about the experiences of the various people that I meet in my life. I am interested in exchanging ideas, cultural differences/similarities and really enjoy learning languages from other people. I am a nature lover, food enthusiast, art loving, curious, queer cub. Appreciate the simple things in life and authenticity. I have an affinity for passionate and creative people and activities that require you to share a part of you heart.

• arts
• beauty
• education
• dining
• recipes
• music
• cycling
• teaching
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Harry Potter, Voces inocentes, documentaries, travel shows, languages, sign language, cooking shows, translating and interpreting, hiking, Beer, biking, cooking, baking, games, The Walking Dead, Anthony Bourdain,

Books:
Bless Me Ultima
Sidewalk
The House of Spirits
Queer Indigenous Studies
The Alchemist
Conquest
A Light in the Attic
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Interpreting in Multicultural and Multilingual Contexts
Cook Books

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Something that is really amazing to me is having planted seeds and watching them grow. It was intensely gratifying to have been part and a witness of the entire life cycle of a plant. It is also great to eat food that you yourself planted and harvested, you can taste the hard work and love put into it.

Teach, Learn, Share

I dont know how much I can share since I consider myself to be a learner. I can share my company, stories, recipes and music. I want to learn from everyone and anyone who will teach me. I would really love to learn to plant and grow edible plants in a respectful way. I really want to learn to weave the blankets my grandfather, uncle, and dad were so familiar with. It is something I dont want to loose. I also want to learn alot of languages so that I can communicate cross-culturally.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, United States