CURRENT MISSION

Develop telepathic ability to a useful level.

ABOUT ME

Took a bit of a break from hosting/ surfing while I was in Canada. I'm back in Japan now-- married and with a young son. Perhaps there will be some meet-ups, hosting and possibly even surfing in my future here...

If you stay at my place, I can teach you how to play the game the Japanese call "go," we can cook various dishes or even play some fiddle tunes together.

I don't use Facebook.com or a cellular telephone.

Your Personality is the Rarest (INFJ)

Your personality type is introspective, principled, self critical, and sensitive.

Only about 2% of all people have your personality - including 3% of all women and around 1% of all men.
You are Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

PHILOSOPHY

curiosity-- 好奇心 & possibility-- 可能性

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've had a bunch of experiences hosting and surfing in Japan. I just moved back in the Fall of 2013. Trying to figure out how I can still participate.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Met a wwoofer/ couch surfer / friend of a friend in November 2008 in Hiroshima-ken. Had a great time. Really enjoyed the company. Want to continue to spread the love around.

CouchSurfing (especially hosting, which is what I usually do) is always a little jarring. It's the type of experience that pushes me just slightly out of my comfort zone, but in a very positive way. I'm only just beginning to grasp this facet of the CS experience, but I think, more than any other part of CS, its this slightly discomfiting but wholly positive and life-affirming pressure which keeps me coming back again and again. (See J. Derrida DE L'HOSPITALITÉ-- this book, which outlines, what I would call a radical ethics of hospitality has greatly influenced the way that I think about my CS experiences.) It's always a little sad to have to send my guests on their way after a day or three or five, but I always feel like I've gained some valuable new perspective from meeting with them. Thanks everybody!

Interests

learning, critical curriculum studies, critical pedagogy, poetry, igo, ultimate, anti-nuclear proliferation, world politics, Palestine, avant gardes, touch rugby, activism, linguistics, Black Mountain College, snowshoeing, geography of Canada, intersectionality, synchronicity, phenomenology, IDEC/IDEA, democratic education, democracy, curriculum studies, freedom from/freedom to, light TEDx bashing-- sorry TED, radicalizing progressivism (especially progressivism in education)

• culture
• books
• literature
• poetry
• education
• ethics
• cooking
• coffee
• politics
• reading
• surfing
• snowshoeing
• rugby
• teaching
• geography

Music, Movies, and Books

Need to update this again. But for now, here's what I wrote back about 2 years ago, in the Winter of 2011.

Wow. Reading and listening to SO MUCH NEW STUFF now that I'm back in big city with a big (English) college library.

Matt Hern-- DESCHOOLING OUR LIVES
Getting into some Margaret Atwood (Canadian authors w00t w00t!)
Also, trying to make time for my good buddy, Mike's new manuscript: A SINGLE STORY, hot on the heels of PRAISE ROUTINE #4, which was my rough and tumble intro to contemporary South African fiction... better get some Coetzee under my belt soon, just for good measure, hey?

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I climbed Mt. Fuji twice-- in September 2008 and, most recently, in July 2011. Both times I got to see the sunrise from the summit, and the second time I was well enough prepared to be able to enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee and a big bowl of ramen along with the sunrise! Luxurious!

Teach, Learn, Share

Wow! This category just boosted my personal opinion of "The Project"-- things I love to teach/ learn about (sort of a repeat of my interests): igo, Japanese, poetry, Japanese literature/ culture (popular and otherwise), learning itself. Also, I keep a lot of books in my house. And I've gotten into the habit of trading them with couchsurfers who are passing through. So, if you're a traveler interested in exchanging books, you're welcome to peruse my shelves while you stay at my place. Happy reading!

I'm a teacher by profession. Neat!

Countries I’ve Visited

Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Palestine, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Japan, United States

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