CURRENT MISSION

get the education they don't give you in school

ABOUT ME

G enerous
A ctivist
B allsy
R eady for anything
I mpromptu
E asily excited
L aid-back

haha I haven't done one of those since I was 7 years old...

A more specific description perhaps?
Well, if you insist...
I love to meet new people anywhere. I learn something new from each person I meet, and each person changes me.
I love to have deep philosophical/political/religious/cultural discussions.
I love to be outdoors.
I love to play music with strangers.
I love to be active.
I love to eat good food, and sometimes to cook food, but it is rarely as good as the food I like to eat :)
I love to be helpful and to be relied upon, but sometimes I just want to be completely carefree.

PHILOSOPHY

The world is like a book. Those who don't travel read but one page.

Do unto others as you wish to be done unto yourself.

Be happy as often as possible.

We have bigger houses but smaller families,
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense
more knowledge, but less judgement
more experts, but more problems
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We've been all the way to the moon and back
but have trouble crossing the street to meet the neighbor.
We built more computers to hold more information
to produce more copies than ever
but have less communication.
We have become long on quantity but short on quality.
These are fast times of fast foods but slow digestion.
Tall man but short character.
Steep profits but shallow relationships.
It is a time where there is much in the window
but nothing in the room.
~Dalai Lama

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Unfortunately, I have not been active recently, but a couple years ago I backpacked around Europe, primarily couchsurfing. The following summer I did a bit of hosting in Cleveland, but I've been unable to host as a student in Washington, D.C.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

At its best, couchsurfing can be an amazing experience -- a million times better than the most luxurious hotel. I've met remarkable and inspiring people through couchsurfing, and I've had many memorable adventures. On the other hand, I've also had less-than-ideal experiences, which can be stressful. I've found that positive couchsurfing experiences are contingent on the host understanding that he/she should provide more than just a couch and the guest understanding that he/she shouldn't take advantage of his/her host's generosity. Couchsurfing is great because it builds relationships -- it's more than just a place to stay.

Interests

I have too many interests and not enough time. It turns into a problem for me because I always feel like I should be devoting more time to my individual interests (which are always accumulating) but then I realize that there is no more time to devote. Without doubt, I am interested in any type of politics and culture. I also love playing and listening to music. I play saxophone, piano, and just started playing the oud. I am an environmentalist, so I will probably complain if you try to buy bottled water or eat at McDonald's. I am also a sports addict. I am very active and love some good friendly competition. Specifically, I love tennis and downhill ski racing, but ping pong, soccer (football), American football, basketball, etc. will also get me going. Hmmm what else... Some other random interests: I'm always up for a game of chess; I am not very good at drawing or painting, but I enjoy producing short documentaries as a form of art and political expression; I don't know if you can call partying an interest, but I will...

• arts
• culture
• writing
• books
• documentaries
• education
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• fast food
• partying
• politics
• chess
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• music
• piano
• outdoor activities
• skiing
• sports
• basketball
• american football
• soccer
• tennis
• table tennis
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I'm notorious for not having seen many movies, but my favorite movie that comes to mind is Goodwill Hunting.
Music: I like too much music, and when I meet new people, I will likely ask them to copy some of their favorite music onto my computer. I'm open to anything.
Books: tough one. In general, my favorite genre is historical fiction, but it's ok to throw in a thriller once in a while. I really like historical fiction because I can learn or relate historical concepts to a fictional plot (which is most often more compelling than a non-fiction plot).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

As I sit here writing this, I hear demonstrators in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo celebrating/protesting the election of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can show you how to cook chocolate lava cake?

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Nicaragua, Peru, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States