I do my best to reply to everyone if they write me a sincere message! If you just write me a copy pasted message or don't have anything in your profile it will be declined. I have written a lot here guys, you can find something to talk about. I'd also prefer you stay more than one night as getting here at 7 pm and leaving the next day at noon isn't really the point of couchsurfing for me.

I also cook a lot: www.instagram.com/talesofjules

ABOUT ME:

I'm a pretty upbeat Italian guy that loves to cook and socialize. I have a degree in Physics, but please don't hold that against me (I'm nice, I swear! I'm no Sheldon).

If I eat really good food I will most likely laugh and if it is really good I may start swearing. I have no idea why.

I like to engage people on a deeply personal level. There is something intimate about letting someone into your home which establishes a pretty big bond of trust - and I feel like this allows many people in this community to open up and talk about themselves and learn much easier.

So! If you host me expect to talk about everything academic, philosophical, personal, nonsensical, enlightening and more often than not just sarcastic humorous banter. I like meeting new people and learning about them and their life experiences (usually over a glass filled with some sort of liquid - tea, booze, coffee, etc).

As you can see, I also like to talk a lot. However I'm quite good at having a quiet night in reading or listening to some good music with a glass of wine or tea. I can be a 80 old British guy when I want to!

MY MISSION: To meet others who have the passionate adventurer's spirit, to plant memories that will last a lifetime with others, and to eat all the new food I can!

MY PHILOSOPHY:
A ship in a harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. - John A. Shedd

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Originally I joined Couchsurfing to meet people. As I have experienced more and more people and have heard the stories of many travelers I've really come to appreciate what Couchsurfing has brought into my life. I thought I would write it out here as it seems since there are a lot of new people and with the new site update a lot of the newer people are missing the whole point of CS: community and culture.

Couchsurfing is not about having a free place to stay. It's not the 'free version of AirBnb'. This website is about meeting amazing people and they would show you who they are, they can share their favourite spots which, in turn, shows you a more genuine place I think.

CS is about like-minded travelers getting together and recognizing that borders are just lines on a map. We are all contributing to enriching the lives of others and open ourselves for them to do the same. It is about depending on the decency of others (You're alone in a new city? No problem, crash at my place! Hungry? Hey let's eat together!) and making friends that will leave an impression on you. Whether you make a new friend, acquire a travel buddy or even find love - it is because you are the person you are.

I want to learn how you got to where you are now. Tell me about that amazing adventure that gave you a new life view, or that one person that really turned your world on its head. This is kind of the central idea behind couchsurfing as said by someone more eloquent that I: It's for finding out how similar you can be underneath superficialities like skin color, culture, religion, and language.

Interests

- Meeting and socializing with new people
- Finding hidden treasures in a city
- Always wanting to find how something works
- Piano
- Photography
- Food. Lots of food. All the new foods.

- Teaching (Math, Physics, English)
- Making lists

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many books. If you stop by you'll see the library collection. Favourite books so far are Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Both books dealt with different problems in my life but were exactly what I needed at that point in time. I have a take one leave one policy at my house.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hmmm. A couple of things:

- I ran up the Eiffel Tower in 9 minutes and 40 seconds (second floor). Not bad for a former fat kid! Woo!

- Stayed with a nudist in San Francisco which certainly was one of the more positive effects on my life.

- Landed in a city, met a new friend, convinced me that we should go camping for a couple of days. I had no camping gear. Thanks to the power of the Internet I had a ride share with a Californian named Sanjay (who had a California accent), a sleeping bag and mattress, and three days of beautiful sights on Mount Hood.

- I met some strangers in Montreal while couchsurfing there - they arrived early to my host's place. We spent the day together and I showed them around. We had a giant potluck with my hosts. I took them to a Burner party and we got free booze in return for massage. It was four in the morning and I looked at them and said, "So... Sunrise?". We watched the sunrise from Mont Royal and it was that moment we became friends for life. You can wake up strangers to these people and become something so much more.

- Leaping over (active) fireworks in Barcelona. My ass still twinges a bit from a close call.

- Was on the west coast of North America and had the issue of getting to the other side. Met some folks that were doing a road trip to Montreal from Seattle and hitched along with them. Got to see some amazing sights!

Teach, Learn, Share

If you're interested in learning how to make authentic Italian cuisine (pasta and pastries), I'm game.

Also if you would like to hear my philosophy on travelling, learning from others, and how I enriched my life... well, that's on the table as well.

I'd really like to learn some new languages, maybe learn basic guitar (more portable than a piano), and if someone could teach me some rock climbing that would be awesome. I've always wanted to climb up a rock face and then jump into water!

(I have now jumped off a 20 meter cliff into water: mission accomplished)

What I Can Share with Hosts

So what can I share with my hosts? If you want to learn how to make Italian food I make a really good gnocchi dish. I also can make a wide variety of other tasty meals as I am horribly stereotypically Italian in that I cook a lot (I hope you are okay with garlic)!

Other than that I can offer good conversation and if I can I'll try to bring a piece of Canada's capital with me!

I'm also pretty strong so if you need help moving furniture I'm good to go, hahah!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada

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