Howdy! I'm a Mexican American from a city called McAllen, Texas. I have 3 dogs with me, so I'm used to staying in furry situations. I live alone near downtown, and spend most of my time cooking out with friends, hitting happy hours, or relaxing with the family.

I work as a Program Supervisor with Valley Metro (our local transit organization) full time. I'm in charge of helping fix bus routes, developing projects, and much more. I earned my bachelors in Community Development from Texas A&M and my masters in public affairs from UTRGV.

I enjoy basketball, walking the dogs, reading, exploring new music, and video games. I have a unique perspective on American culture because of life on a town so close to the Mexico - United States border. However, I've been to most major cities in the US (NYC, San Francisco, LA, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Orlando) and smaller ones across the less populous states (Oklahoma, Nebraska, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.) that I can give you a decent idea of what US living is like. I love Texas and have been up and down and all round this state, so there's that too.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet new people! I have stayed in hostels which are pretty neat because you meet people from all over the world (and I've kept friendships from them as well).

However, the people in hostels were rarely from the country I was exploring, and were not always keen on what to do in the city besides normal tourist things. While I do typically enjoy the major attractions every destination has, I enjoy the small nuances of how cities operate. I am somebody who looks at all of the moving parts in a society and how every person plays a role in its culture and daily life. Where do locals sit down and enjoy their favorite books? Where are the basketball courts / soccer fields that are always busy? How do people celebrate weddings in this culture? Where will you find the small live music venues? What does the daily travel commute look like?

These things you probably won't find in your travel books, but locals might know. I was able to explore Shanghai enough to become a regular at the local basketball park, and it was probably my favorite thing about traveling. Finding out how I would fit into the city if I lived there. In Washington, D.C., I found my local reading nook in a park and running trail that became my regular go to spots.

I hope that Couchsurfers might give me an idea of what the city looks like when you live there, not as a tourist might see.

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Musicians : The Beatles, Kanye West, SZA, 070 Shake, Michael Jackson, Porter Robinson, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Madeon, Maroon 5, Logic, Joey Bada$$, Method Man, The Avett Brothers, Eminem, David Guetta, Rihanna, LMFAO, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Bruno Mars, Biggie Smalls, Wu-Tang Clan, Gorillaz

Movies: Coco, Forrest Gump, Inglorious Basterds, Batman Trilogy, Lord of the Rings, Spirit of the Beehive, This is the End, Godzilla (2016), Role Models, Saving Private Ryan, No Country for Old Men, In the Mood for Love, The Seven Samurai, Y Tu Mamá También, Moana, Lion King, The Book of Life and more.

Books: Catch 22 is my favorite book of all time! I read quite a bit non-fiction, so I focus on geopolitical books, urban planning, and the human experience. If I'm reading something right now, it's probably me trying to catch up with the American classics (i.e. Walt Whitman, Stephen King, Mark Twain). I spent so little time reading anything other than school materials that I need time to catch up.

Video Games: all the Legend of Zelda games. If it was released on a major Nintendo console (NES, Super Nintendo, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Switch) , I've played it. Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild are my favorite. Pokemon Red, soul silver, and Y. Mega Man. Any Super Mario Game. Donkey Kong. Fire Emblem Awakening. Super Smash Bros. I play too many video games.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Bungee Jumped in Queenstown, New Zealand! I've done more neat stuff, but that was my favorite.

Teach, Learn, Share

I focused on policy when studying at Texas A&M University, so giving people perspective on the United States political landscape and how it plays out in the globe is my specialty!

Besides that, I'm also a huge movie buff, and can go over what aspects of movies have been influenced by cultural norms in different countries, particularly American History and politics. I received my minor in film studies, and I enjoyed being able to watch movies for class.

If you just want to play some basketball, I can at least show you what a good jump shot looks like. I love playing basketball in different places, and finding out how other cultures play the sport.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I usually bring a small gift when I am lucky enough to find a host. I've never used Couchsurfing to find a host, but I usually find friends willing to host us when traveling. I was able to stay on the floor of a friends place in NYC for my time there, and we brought some beers. For a family of a friend in Toronto, we brought some wine. It's not much, but I feel terrible not providing some kind of gift to thank people for their generosity.

I also take with me my handheld video games (Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch), so if hosts would like to borrow those while I roam around the city, I guess that's something I can offer? Not really sure if that's what the question is asking.

I'm a pretty average person. I'm pretty open minded (I would imagine most people on this website are.) I like popular music. I can talk all day about film. I'm a proud American that realizes I know little about the outside world, and I'm willing to listen about a host's perspective on their own country.

Besides that, I love calm political conversation. Key word being calm. I never try to persuade people to my beliefs, and I always respect the views of others.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden