I'm from the US but now live in China, and absolutely love it!

I left the US when I was 18 and haven't really looked back since; I've got a passion for traveling, meeting new people, finding new ways of looking at the world, and learning languages (at the moment, that's Chinese!)

I travel and host with my girlfriend Carla, so if we meet via Couchsurfing, chances are you'll meet her too (just check the references)!

The Basics:
• I am a musician – I play piano and I sing. I'm in a band, I write music, I also teach music as my day job :)
• I am a traveler – Like most people on CS, travel is one of the most important parts of my life!
• I am a linguist – Well this one's a bit of a stretch, but I love learning languages, even if I'm not very good at it :P
• I am a friend and a listener – I respect everyone for who they are as a person, and enjoy connecting with other people on a deeper level; your personal story is one of the most valuable things you can give someone else, and I for one would love to hear it!

We don't smoke, but it's completely cool if you do;
We're not vegan or vegetarian, but it's fine by us if you are;
We aren't LGBTQ, but we totally don't mind if you are!

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UPDATE
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We are currently living on campus at my new teaching job on the outskirts of Suzhou, so are unfortunately unable to accept any guests. It sucks to not be hosting, but we definitely would be more than happy to show anybody around the city or just hang out!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Sure, you can travel the "normal" way; you have journey through this world in the privacy of your own hotel room, where you are guaranteed to not be forced to interact with others if you don't want.

...or you can connect with the people in the places you are visiting, experience the world from their perspective, learn about their daily lives, their struggles, their experiences. It's only then that you truly FEEL a place, and get a deeper understanding of what it is to live there.

Interests

Music, Photography, Videography, Scuba, Learning Languages

• singing
• photography
• dining
• music
• hiking
• hitchhiking
• food
• chinese
• videography
• scuba
• playing piano
• 中文

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Swam to and from the little island in Lake Bled, Slovenia.
Swam in a fjord in Norway...with my phone. oops!
Camped on the Great Wall of China.
Camped on a mountain in the Arctic Circle.
Made it to Carnegie (it doesn't take as much practice as they say).

Teach, Learn, Share

Ideas, music, languages, stories, meals, and experiences, in whatever form they might come :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

My experiences, my stories, my company, my friendship.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bahrain, China, United States