CURRENT MISSION

To learn, meet new people, and avoid getting sunburned.

ABOUT ME

I'm an assistant-English teacher in Madrid, and I'm still not sure what I want to do when I grow up, although I'm considering trying to make it as a journalist, lawyer, or English literature teacher. I love good discussion and debate, and I think meeting new people and talking about our different backgrounds, viewpoints, and shared interests is a blast. I enjoy learning about any period in history, analyzing literature, attempting to speak French or Spanish without embarrassing myself, and arguing about which form of government would best suit Westeros.

PHILOSOPHY

I recently took an incredible class called Asian Philosophies, and Early Daoism appeals to me. I also very much enjoyed reading excerpts from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita (Hindu texts). I'm Jewish but not particularly religious, and if I had to identify myself with any one philosophy it would probably be that of improv comedy.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

For now I only plan on couchsurfing; I share a room (and a house) with some fellow students who are unfortunately not on board with the idea of couchsurfing. I look forward to hosting as soon as I have a living situation that allows for it.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've couchsurfed 5 times (in Charleston (South Carolina), Quebec City, Montreal, Lucerne, and Sevilla) and had great experiences each time. I've also met with couchsurfers and been to some meet-ups. I think that couchsurfing has a really unique culture and atmosphere and it has become my favorite part of traveling.

Interests

I love most types of music, and I sing and play flute. I spend my free time listening to and playing music, hiking, netflixing, and fantasizing about making all members of Congress participate in the Hunger Games. I'm particularly interested in criminal justice reform in the United States, and I'm eager to learn more about criminal justice policies in different countries and regions, as well as the political systems and issues in any area I'm travelling in.

• arts
• culture
• literature
• singing
• environment
• reading
• music
• hiking
• art history
• economics
• history
• journalism
• law
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, The Avett Brothers, Grouplove, Sublime, Beyonce

The Truman Show, Amelie, the first 6-7 X-men movies, anything with Daniel Day Lewis, Tom Hanks, or Robert Downey Jr. , Her, Birdman

Stranger in a Strange Land, Flowers for Algernon, Brave New World, The Things They Carried, Fahrenheit 451, Beloved, A Visit from the Good Squad, The Magicians trilogy (but not the TV show), The Tempest, Othello, and Hamlet, etc etc etc

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I made an audience laugh at a recent improv class graduation show, and I'm not sure I've experienced anything better than that.

Teach, Learn, Share

Eager to teach/share: US history and how the government works, Jewish culture, orchestral music, how to write decent essays and common grammar mistakes in English, basic French, basic Spanish, everything I can remember from my Asian Philosophies class, everything I can remember about French politics, and interesting things to do/see/learn about in New York City.

Eager to learn: More about any of the above things, French slang and culture of any Francophone areas, Spanish slang and culture of Spanish-speaking areas, European history and current affairs, trade and economics-related issues, philosophy of any and all kinds, more about any religion or belief, art history, etc.

What I Can Share with Hosts

See above

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Spain, United States