CURRENT MISSION

Have fun, read a lot, talk to strangers, do weird stuff in weird places, learn things, see the world, stay active, change my mind, laugh a million times before I die, and try to force myself out of my comfort zone as much as I can. That's where life happens, right?

ABOUT ME

I graduated from Gonzaga University in the USA in May of 2015 with a double major in International Studies and Political Science and a double minor in Spanish and Arabic. After three years living and working in Cairo, Egypt, I moved to Germany, and now live and work in Cologne as one of the marketers for a language learning company. #dreamjob

I read like it's going out of style, I like trying new things, and I love hearing stories about what other people have done (as well as sharing some of my own). Also love sports, running, meditation (which I used to think was total BS but have changed my mind about), and generally being outdoors. Life is all about experiments, and I like to think I'm quite the experimenter.

PHILOSOPHY

To die empty.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

When I learned about Couchsurfing I, like most people at first, was extremely skeptical. However, I gave it a go for the first time in 2013, and fell in love with the concept. Since then, I have surfed, hosted, and even attended quite a few community events in both Cairo and Düsseldorf. I think it takes a certain kind of person to really get into the whole "trusting strangers" thing, but once you do HOLY SHIT so many doors open up. I have been able to meet some pretty awesome people here, and have done things that I know I will always look back on and laugh about. I think it's one of the greatest ways I know of to meet new people, expand your worldview, and learn some stuff about the way people live around the world. We all have a limited time on this planet, so what the hell, let's go make some stories.

Interests

Reading most anything you put in front of me. Hiking while listening to podcasts. Trying to cook new things and sometimes failing, sometimes pleasantly surprising myself. Swimming in water that makes me feel like an ice cube. Finding new places to drink beer. Having great conversations that give me the oh-so-underrated pleasure of having my mind changed. Laughing at things until I cry and people think I am crazy. Discovering new music that makes the world feel a little different. Thinking about space and aliens. Struggling for 15 minutes to shut my mind off during mediation, only to have that brilliant 45-second "thoughtless" mindfulness. Writing stories that I think are bad ass, which anyone else would probably laugh at. Sports that make me feel more athletic than I probably actually am. The feeling of accomplishment you get having a conversation in a foreign language. Smelling old books. Wondering what it would be like to be the size of an ant. The list goes on, as I suspect it does for a lot of us.

• books
• exercise
• politics
• reading
• languages
• political science
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Led Zeppelin, Blink-182, The Tallest Man On Earth, Macklemore, Julia Nunes, The Lumineers

Stand By Me, Dazed and Confused, Boyhood

Catcher in the Rye, The Brothers Karamazov, Crank, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska, The Prophet, And Then There Were None

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Swimming naked with a Nubian guy. Weird at first, ended up being such a cool experience.

Went on a four-day, 900-mile hitch-hiking trip to see my friend in Arizona. 12 drivers, great conversations, a lot of trust, weird stories, and something I'll never forget. The kindness of strangers is alive and well.

Ran and completed a marathon (26 miles/42 km) with my brother and sister in below freezing temperature (10 F/-12 C). Never been so proud to be family.

B1 German from scratch in four months.

Finished the Drunken Pita Challenge without dying. My life is now complete.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am conversational in Egyptian Arabic and German and like to pretend sometimes that my Spanish is not completely forgotten after 9+ years of not using it. I can teach you how to write a great short story, can show you some card tricks, and also know a thing or two about American foreign policy.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'll teach you about politics, books, have any kind of conversation with you that you are interested in having, and make you laugh without even trying. I hope to hear about your travels, learn about the world, and make some new friends in the process.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Egypt, Germany, United States