In 2011, I quit a decent job, sold almost everything I owned and moved to a country I had never been to. It is still one of the best decisions I have ever made! I spent a few months teaching and working at a tapas bar in Barcelona, then a taught university students in Turkey for nearly a year and then went and taught in Taiwan for 8 months before leaving to come back to the U.S. for grad school.

I finished a double master's in Wyoming where I was able to continue traveling the world for research opportunities, volunteer work, conferences presentations and so forth. Now, I work at a major engineering firm as an Environmental Planner, though I would eventually like to do sustainable development work at the international level. Until then, I'm just working and trying to get outdoors and/or overseas as often as possible.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

"Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life." -Michael Palin

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." -Susan Sontag

"Do not go where the path my lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel." -Rosalia de Castro

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did...Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

"Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Lao Tzu

"To travel is to live." -Hans Christian Anderson

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think Couchsurfing is a great program, a way of helping out good people in need, meeting like-minded travelers and allowing us to either experience a new city with a local or be a tour guide in our own cities. I have done quite a bit of surfing around the world, almost all of which were great experiences, and I offer my couch when I can, in the hopes of helping out a fellow traveler.

Interests

Food, languages, football (American and fútbol), cooking, traveling, wine, basketball, the outdoors, music of all kinds, micro beers, sunsets, learning, the beach, politics, renewable energy, sustainable development, international affairs and economics, art, history, friends, laughter...you know, the usual.

• arts
• books
• festivals
• oktoberfest
• chinese new year
• full moon party
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• partying
• drinking
• politics
• traveling
• volunteer work
• watching sports
• socializing
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• windsurfing
• surfing
• scuba diving
• sports
• basketball
• soccer
• world cup
• economics
• engineering
• history
• languages
• tourism
• volunteering
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a huge fan of audiobooks and almost always listening to the (predominantly non-fiction) stories of other travelers, or books about international affairs, economics, sustainability, politics and policies, the environment, trade and finance, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

If I had to pick a few things I have "earned bragging rights for", I would say being covered from head to toe in tomato guts at La Tomatina; Munich for opening day of Oktoberfest; Hong Kong during Chinese New Year; sending off a lantern at the Lantern Festival in Pingxi Taiwan; a Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan, watching the Ticos win multiple World Cup games while in Costa Rica; seeing the sunset over the Eiffel Tower and Seine River in Paris; scuba diving on the Bay Islands of Honduras; herding cattle in Chile; windsurfing in the Mediterranean off the coast of Turkey; hiking volcanoes in Nicaragua; and elephant trekking through Phuket.

It is worth noting though that I have found most of the most memorable experiences I've had were the simplest ones. Good times with good company likely accompanied by good food/drinks; those are the best memories.

Teach, Learn, Share

I enjoy meeting people from all walks of life. Those who: are educated, have traveled, have opinions and legitimate reasons for them, are open minded, have a sense of humor, can cook a great meal or at the very least appreciate one, enjoy watching sports, love a good beer or glass of wine, listen to awesome music of any kind or origin, store random facts about nothing important, or a great deal of knowledge of something they are passionate about. If you possess at least one of these traits, I'm sure we will get along great!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Having traveled pretty extensively, I've eaten a lot of great food, and I have learned how to cook most of my favorite meals which I love to share with others! I've also accrued quite a few good travel stories over the years. And, I can be a good resource for those still working on their English, as I spent a couple of years teaching English and a couple more as a teaching assistant while getting my master's.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United States