My name is Ian and I am an American student from St. Lawrence University, double majoring in Political Science and Global Studies, with a minor in Spanish studies. I am currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Fall 2016 semester.

Travel and international relations have been interests of mine from an early age, and I am lucky enough to say I have already visited Peru, Spain, Morocco, China, and the UK. Even when I'm not visiting another country, I often gravitate towards those who are visiting mine. This lead me to join the International House, a community that promotes intercultural exchange and understanding at St. Lawrence University, and work with a group of Argentinian Fulbright scholars last summer.

I'm glad I have these experiences under my belt, but I want more. After all, we only have so much time on this earth to explore it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

If I learned anything from my trip to Peru, it was the value of cultural immersion. Interacting with the locals and experiencing their day-to-day lives added a new dimension to my visit that a typical tourist vacation could not have paralleled. Several of my other trips confirmed this when I took the traditional tourist approach and didn't get to interact with the locals. I felt like I only scratched the surface of what those cities and cultures had to offer. I don't want to make that mistake again in my future endeavors.

Interests

• singing
• chinese food
• mexican food
• bodybuilding
• running
• working out
• reading
• metal music
• skiing
• travel
• heavy metal
• vodka
• choir
• comic books
• black metal

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I am a huge metalhead. Some of my favorites are Slipknot, Katatonia, Children of Bodom, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Behemoth, Amon Amarth, Gorgoroth, and Cattle Decapitiation, but that list could go on much longer.

Movies: The Dark Knight is my all time favorite. My other favorites include Mary Poppins, the Iron Man movies, The Blair Witch Project, anything by Martin Scorsese, anything directed by Ben Affleck, and The Babadook.

Books: Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), H.P. Lovecraft, American Sniper, Lords of Chaos (book about Norwegian black metal), Frankenstein

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visiting Peru on a class trip when I was 14. A group of Spanish language students from my school visited a Peruvian school that our Spanish teacher taught English at for a year. We went to class with a group of Peruvian students and went on a bunch of excursions with them as well. The whole experience introduced me to the world that existed outside my small town.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My experiences, new music, and how to death growl.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, United States