Hello Couchsurfing friends!

My name is Greg and I'm from the United States. In 2019 I finished my studies and decided to travel the world for a year. Then Covid-19 struck and I got stuck in Mongolia instead.

I love being outdoors, dancing, meeting new people, sharing languages and culture, and just generally being open to new experiences and finding the beauty in this giant/tiny blue marble we all call home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nGKqH26xlg)

Some of my favorite previous travel experiences were teaching Japanese high school students in Kobe, hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland, traveling on the trans-Siberian railway in January, and going to a traditional Mongolian wedding in the Mongolian countryside.

There are 8 billion people in the world, and my very foolish goal is to meet them all!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I started Couchsurfing in 2019, and it quickly became one of my favorite parts about traveling. One of my best friends in the whole world I met on Couchsurfing—maybe you'll be the next one! To me, the whole purpose of traveling is to meet new people, exchange culture/experiences/stories, and expand our vision of what it means to be human.

When I finally have my own place, my dream is to host travelers from all over the world and pay it forward to everyone who has been so kind and welcoming! This includes not just the Couchsurfing community, but friends and everyone else who extends hospitality to strangers across the world. I found the hospitality of Mongolians particularly inspiring in this regard (shout out to my friends Ganchimeg and Baigalmaa).

Interests

• running
• meditation
• reading
• hiking
• mathematics
• physics
• dance
• zen
• j.r.r. tolkien

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a devout enthusiast of everything Tolkien related. Otherwise I love science fiction and classic novels. I also love books that give a new way of thinking about the world (The Master and His Emissary and The Five Invitations are two great examples).

I love to listen to indie, folk, classic rock, jazz, and classical music. Since living in Mongolian I am very fond of Mongolian artists like Magnolian and The Colors. And now that I dance I'm really into any good dance music. But my favorite is whatever the people I am with like to listen to!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've gone sheep herding in the Highlands of Scotland! In short, this consisted of hiking up a mountain and then desperately chasing sheep over sheer rock as they try to escape.

Teach, Learn, Share

I lived in a Zen monastery for four months in 2021 and can share about Zen meditation practices (of course I'm not a teacher, but I can tell you the basic methods).

I also love to bake and cook and love to make food for my hosts. If I have my sourdough starter with me, I can even bake fresh sourdough bread!

And I love to dance—I can teach you the basics of Lindy Hop or West Coast Swing. Maybe we can even go dancing together!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I learned how to bake sourdough bread from one of my previous hosts, and now I bake for anyone I stay with. Let me know if you want warm, fresh, home-baked bread! I'm also happy to cook dinner and share stories from traveling and studying at Oxford.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, Poland, Russian Federation, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Mongolia, United States