Howdy, I normally go by either John or Juan.

I was an exchange student to Goettingen, Germany for a year through the Rotary Club Youth Exchange Scholarship. While in university I studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina for six months. I spent the last 2 years teaching English in Ibaraki, Japan.

Currently I am working as a scribe in the emergency department while waiting to start medical school in Houston, Texas this fall.

I am always down to try new things (especially food). I love making new friends and spending time with people. I am easy going and am very flexible when it comes to travel plans. I really enjoy the company of genuinely kind and friendly people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have been very fortunate to have had so many travel opportunities in my life. From all of these trips, I have learned that having a local to stay with and show you around is ALWAYS better than staying in some hotel. While, I enjoy hostels, because you can meet other like-minded travelers and make international friends, but most of the time you lose that local element. I feel like Couchsurfing affords the possibly of make new lifelong friends from around the world while getting a true feel of a city/country's culture.

Interests

Food. I love food (...and beer). While BBQ, Tex-Mex, and Buffalo Wings are on top of my list; I will virtually eat and enjoy any type of food. Trying regional dishes is one of my favorite parts of traveling.

I also love swimming, if it is above freezing and there is a body of water around, there is a good chase I will go for a dip.

Besides those two major things, my other hobbies include: video games, guitar, skateboarding, playing tennis, basketball, or soccer (not very skilled at them though), hiking, rock climbing.

• culture
• acting
• dining
• beer
• bbq
• clubbing
• boating
• video games
• tv
• traveling
• billiards
• hiking
• camping
• hunting
• surfing
• skateboarding
• baseball
• basketball
• rock climbing
• american football
• soccer
• tennis
• swimming
• world cup
• chemistry
• teaching
• languages
• study abroad
• road trips
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I love learning about new music in different languages when traveling.

I like many different types of music:
Indie: Passion Pit, Two Door Cinema Club, Phoenix...
Alt/Emo/Punk-Rock: Kings of Leon, Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182...
Hip-Hop: Joey Badass, Kid Cudi, Mac Miller...
Electro/Chill: Gold Panda, Tycho, Chrome Sparks...
Post-Hardcore: Dance Gavin Dance, Chiodos, Underoath...
Country: George Strait, Turnpike Troubadours, Randy Rogers Band...
Ambient: Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, Hammock...

I like most movies; with the exception of Rom-Coms.

I am currently working through The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels list; which all my favorites come from. Just to list a few: Catch 22, 1984, Ulysses, Catcher in the Rye, Darkness at Noon, The U.S.A. Trilogy, A Passage to India, On the Road, A Farewell to Arms...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watch a world cup match on the giant FIFA fan fair TV while swimming at the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 Brasil World Cup.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Some friendly interested company and anything they would like to know about my home country or state.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Scotland, South Korea, Thailand, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Germany, Japan, United States