CURRENT MISSION

To create "connectedness" and to seek and strive for authenticity.

ABOUT ME

Hi! I'm Jorge.

I value and strive for authenticity, self-awareness, and creative expression. I appreciate ambiguity and am fascinated by the act of interpretation. Out of the many, many things one can do to make the world a better place, I have chosen, after a stint in urban planning, to work on improving schools for low-income and immigrant students.

I can usually be found at a coffee shop reading; in my kitchen cooking exotic, savory dishes (as well as Trader Joe's dumplings); planning hikes; training for a half marathon; or bypassing the NYT's 20 article limit.

I spent a last year and a half working for StoryCorps, an oral history project known for its tear-jerking stories broadcast on NPR. From the Arizona desert to Chicago to Southern Appalachia, I traveled all over helping people record their stories. It was quite an education.

PHILOSOPHY

I'll let you know when I know, but I worry that by the time I get around to telling you, I'll have changed my mind. I try my best to embrace that as a good thing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have used CS both as a way to find a safe couch and a way to meet new friends. It's been great! Sadly, I have not yet had the pleasure of hosting someone. My roommate arrangement at the moment make it difficult for me to host, but I would love to meet for coffee, dinner, or drinks if you are passing through Los Angeles.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couchsurfed through Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Met good friends!

Interests

Current interests: personal narratives, differences in interpretation, Neurology, Roman Polanski's films, the Pacific Northwest, language usage, design, E/education, and buildings and neighborhoods.

• design
• education
• cooking
• coffee
• marathon
• drinking
• shopping
• movies
• reading
• hiking
• teaching
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Books (and short stories): The Corrections, Brothers, Motherless Brooklyn, El túnel, "Fiesta 1980," The Catcher in the Rye, Giovanni's Room, The World According to Garp, The Dying Animal, The Snapper (and most Roddy Doyle), The Emigrants.

Music: Modest Mouse, The National, YYYs, 80's salsa, Radiohead, The Great Republic of Rough and Ready, Franz Ferdinand, Mumford & Sons, Knoxville's bluegrass public radio station - WDVX, Inara George, The Bird and the Bee, Lila Downs.

Movies: Better Luck Tomorrow, Munich, El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Sideways, Scott Pilgrim Versus the World, Amelie, Black Swan, anything by Paul Thomas Anderson, Man on Wire.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I got Kobe Bryant to give me a weeklong trip to Italy. Yup.

Countries I’ve Visited

Italy, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, United States