Hey everyone, I'm Jonathan and I'm from California. I’ve used CS quite a lot since I started traveling regularly in 2016. It’s allowed me to meet people in countries around Europe as well as in South Africa, China, Japan, Colombia, and at home in the United States. Love the idea of it as a means of connecting with open-minded and curious people!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Like many people who've signed up for Couchsurfing before me, I'm looking forward to meeting new people who I can share my experiences with and learn from as well.

Interests

Here are five things...

1. Listening to podcasts - This American Life and The Tim Ferriss Show are some of my favorites.

2. Reading - Some of my favorite books include Leonardo daVinci by Walter Issacson, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, and Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. You can check out notes on books I've read on my personal website: https://santiagos.space/the-library

3. Singing - Karaoke, anyone?

4. Hiking - Something that I'm trying to make more time for. California actually has some really great hikes that I'd love to explore.

5. Exercise - In 2020, I started lifting kettlebells and love how minimalist I can be with them.

• culture
• writing
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• drinking
• traveling
• watching sports
• socializing
• blogging
• music
• piano
• dance music
• karaoke
• hiking
• sports
• basketball
• communications

Music, Movies, and Books

In no particular order and only a small sampling, here are my favorites

Music
1. Stevie Wonder
2. Jay-Z
3. Kendrick Lamar
4. Bill Withers
5. Marvin Gaye
6. The Killers
7. Frank Ocean
8. Kanye West
9. Drake
10. Boyz II Men

Movies
1. Back To The Future (The Whole Trilogy)
2. Knocked Up
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home
4. Black Panther
5. Anything James Bond (I've seen everyone 007 film except the George Lazenby one)
6. The Worst Person in the World
7. Knives Out
8. Old School
9. Definitely, Maybe
10. Love Actually

Books
1. The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
2. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts
3. Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl
4. Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
5. Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Issacson
6. Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
7. Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela
8. Give and Take - Adam Grant
9. Antifragile - Nassim Taleb
10. Creativity Inc - Ed Catmull
11. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
12. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
13. Sapiens - Yuval Harari
14. Freakonomics - Stephen Dubner & Steven Levitt
15. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi
16. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Visited 20-plus countries in 7 1/2 months.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach
- English, grammar and writing skills
- How to drive automatic (if you've never driven a car before)
- Digital/content marketing such as building a blog, social media, podcasting, etc.

Learn
- A new language
- A new culture

Share
- A conversation
- A meal
- A walk/stroll

What I Can Share with Hosts

An open mind as well as a willingness to learn. I'm planning on chronicling my travels through video - so if hosts want to share their stories and background with me, I'd be happy to share that with the world.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, Indonesia, United States