Hello!

My name is Joseph, although being called jo makes me feel warm and loved. I am originally from Chicago, having been born and raised there for 18 years, and eventually moving to Los Angeles, California. As of June 2016, I have been living in Santiago, Chile. I am backpacking South America until March 2017!

I am now 23 years old, currently studying Linguistics and English at UCLA, and I have spent my entire life for as long as I can remember studying some language(s) at any given point that include Korean, Spanish, and some Italian, Garifuna and Quechua.

Over the years, I have been involved in social movements and political activism on campus and have a passion to serve the misrepresented and even more so often the underrepresented . As of now, I have plans to go to law school to fulfill my goals, but these remain just tentative plans as I am still figuring out what else I want to do with my life before I get to that point.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Being a linguist, I understand that the concept of language extends far beyond just a tongue that we speak. More importantly, I've realized that in order to truly study and understand language, we need to immerse ourselves and really dive into the culture and people that speak a particular language. Because of this, I hope to meet people from all over the world, whether I visit them or they visit me. It is just really necessary to breathe some new fresh air every once in a while, you know?

Interests

First and foremost, I am a writer at heart, and a fervent one. I have a collection of works that range from haikus to rambling poetry to flash fiction to a college thesis on the current trajectory of the educational institution in the US. I would be more than happy to share with you my words, as I believe writing is the most intimate form of communication.

I enjoy all outdoorsy activities including backpacking, biking, sports, swimming. I also love cooking, music festivals, drinking craft beers, sharing stories, reading the news, and divulging in conversations about spirituality, politics, sports, and just about everything your parents told you to avoid talking about over dinner.

Music, Movies, and Books

I dig all kinds of music as I have infinite amounts of playlists that contain just about everything. But personally what speaks to me is anything mellow and chill that I can listen to while reflecting on life. My all-time favorite band is Bon Iver, current favorite producer is a tie between Slow Magic and Tycho, and my favorite musicians are Angus and Julia Stone.

I love love love to read all kinds of books. My current favorite male author is Kurt Vonnegut, favorite female author is Anaïs Nin, favorite poet is Nayyirah Waheed, and my favorite memoirist is Cheryl Strayed.

If I had to live in a world without music, movies, or books, I'd choose movies in an instant.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've lived out of my car for half a year during my last year in college and passed an intensive certification course to become a Wilderness First Responder.

Also backpacked 9 days over 110 km through Chilean Patagonia - Torres Del Paine.

Teach, Learn, Share

The three best things you can do while spending time with others.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would love to share with you my story, my philosophy on just about anything and everything, and even simply just a bright smile and warm company. I truly believe that everyone has a story to tell, and I've been told I'm a good listener. And I'm very adept at giving massages and relieving tension found in the body's stress points. So I can teach you a few pointers. (See what I did there? I can also share cheesy humor so yeah).

I am a hobbyist photographer and I take my camera with me everywhere I go to document the life we live. So I would love to take some photos with hosts and guests alike and explore some scenes.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, South Korea

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, United States