CURRENT MISSION

(First...READ MY "MY HOME" SECTION)

Making the most of the only life I've got (unless there's reincarnation, which would be awesome)

Read "My Home" before messaging me. You will be more likely to get a response if you make a specific reference to something in my profile to prove you've at least glanced at it before sending me a message.
For those I am asking to host, sorry if this comes off pushy or something, I just get tons of messages living in the NYC area and need a way to help sort through them.

ABOUT ME

I've been on CS for awhile now and have really enjoyed the experiences I've had. I'm a history teacher in Jersey City, someone with a fair amount of free time and high amount of interest in exploring the world. I really enjoy sports and museums when I travel, but am open to pretty much everything. Breweries, clubs, operas, whatever! Life is about living it.

PHILOSOPHY

I had two very close family members pass away before they were old and as a result, since then, I really try to live life with vigor and experience as much as I can.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm looking to Couchsurf, maybe meeting up with people for weekend trips or to travel longer distances on breaks. I also host just as a tour guide/advice giver, and occasionally but rarely host overnight.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Finally got on board with some cool peeps in St. Louis, but prior to that I only knew of 1 friend who did it but loved CS in Europe and throughout the USA. Hoping to continue to be a part of it because as weird as it may be, there's a good vibe going on here. I also went to Vegas and Phoenix where I met awesome CS people in winter 2013. I've hosted a few people for dinner and drinks in NJ, where we have beautiful views of NYC and equally good food and places to see.

My most extensive CS mission was taking a tour of Europe. I took a history course on Thomas Jefferson and the Enlightenment at the Univ. of Edinburgh July 5-11, 2015. I then went to England (Liverpool and London), then France (Paris), then to Amsterdam and Copenhagen. I wish I had more time because it was all so fun, really liberating to be free to walk among some of the oldest places in the civilized world but also chill and get beers and food in clubs and pubs with CS hosts!

Interests

Sports, history, politics, pretty much anything that I can learn from and discuss with others. I like to read, from magazines (The Week, ESPN, and Time) to books (most recent: "The Presidents and the Constitution") and online (TheOnion, CNN, and ESPN). I also volunteer with my fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, mentoring and helping them stay organized and not get into too much trouble.

• books
• dining
• beer
• drinking
• clubbing
• pub crawls
• politics
• traveling
• juggling
• sports
• teaching
• history
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a fan of most music, from top40 to bands that "influenced me" one might say like Everclear, Green Day, DMB, RHCP and Pearl Jam. Movie favorites would probably be The Adjustment Bureau and movies with old-school Adam Sandler. I'd call The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Ajax Dilemma and 1984 my favorite books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went to Ireland in high school with my classmates and a couple teachers and we had an awesome time; I crawled with my head over the Cliffs of Moher, saw the most beautiful sunset at Ballybunion, and drank Guinness in Dublin. Probably my #1 traveling experience but I've had many others!

I am also (cheerfully) obligated to put "Get married and honeymoon!" with my wife, Tarah. We went to St. Lucia in December 2017/January 2018, it was amazing!

Teach, Learn, Share

I don't have any cool skills like juggling or stand-up comedy(should've listened to Napoleon Dynamite, he had wise things to say about skills), but if anyone is interested in becoming a better teacher or leader I've read a lot and gone to many conferences for my career so I can share those experiences. I've also at this point traveled pretty extensively and can share many stories! I tend to think I'm very empathetic and open-minded.

What I Can Share with Hosts

See above!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Scotland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States