ABOUT ME

I finished my PhD in Electrical Engineering at Cornell University, and now I'm traveling all over the world in order to do a different kind of learning :).

After almost 2 years of traveling, I have decided that I want to use my technical skills to create new, low-cost technology that can help people in poverty. I'm not sure yet exactly how to do this (right now I am thinking to take basic technology shown only in university labs, and develop it into full products, which NGO's can help distribute), but as I'm traveling I try to find out what major problems the people of each country struggle with. If you have any ideas about some major problems in your countries, please let me know!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I did my undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering, and then went directly into PhD program (also in Electrical Engineering). It took me 5 years, but I finally completed it. However, after finishing my degree, I realized I had been in school for so long and had only been exposed to a very limited set of perspectives and experiences. I needed to remove myself from my limited scope completely. I also wanted to learn more about people and different ways of living: things that cannot be learned in textbooks. I generally want to be exposed to very different perspectives, but my main question throughout my travels is this: "What is truly fundamental to the human experience?". And I think Couchsurfing is the best way to explore this question and the world - by getting to know and understand people from very different cultures, I think I can get a better understanding of myself and people in general.

So after graduation, I filled up a backpack and I set out to backpack Southeast Asia for 1 year, starting in Japan! I had only planned to stay in Japan for 2-3 weeks, but I was experiencing such a different way of living that I had to stay for longer! I ended up spending 3 months there (just because my visa limited me), but I could easily spent another 3 months. If you've read this this far, please put "Kool" somewhere in your request. Since then I have visited many more countries and have had some amazing experiences.

So far I have been traveling for over 12 months, and in that time, my travel style has been getting slower and slower. In the beginning I would hop to a new country within a few weeks, but at this point I have spent over 6 months traveling all over Vietnam alone, and all by motorbike! Part of the reason my travelling style has slowed down is because I have realized that the best part of traveling is the people you encounter, and how you can touch and change each other's lives. A photograph, or even a memory, will fade over time, but the real connections we make with people impact them and ourselves for the rest our futures.

Through Couchsurfing, I have been given the greatest opportunities to get to know and meet some of the most interesting and amazing people I have ever known. But it also gives me the opportunity to allow you to get to know me!

Interests

I'm very interested in meditation, and I am trying to get to a point where I can meditate in anything that I do. For example, if I am walking to the store, I would like to be fully experiencing that walk: the transfer of weight from leg to leg, the breeze on my chest, how my mind is reacting to cars on the road, etc. I mostly do Vipassana meditation (completely self-taught though from reading online), but I have also tried Zen meditation and some Art of Living meditations. I try to practice meditation every day, along with some basic yoga and breathing techniques.

I also really enjoy hiking, for similar reasons to meditation. I don't have too much experience with overnight camping (although after doing an 8 day trek in Patagonia's Torres del Paine park with minimal preparations, I'm now a pro ;) ), so I mostly stick to long day hikes. I'm also interested in poetry and dancing - many kinds including hip hop, breakdancing, salsa, Indian bhangra, and pretty much anything someone is willing to teach me!

• yoga
• meditation
• traveling
• philosophy
• nature
• different cultures

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
The Matrix
Oldboy
Inception
Memento
The Dark Knight

Books:
Wuthering Heights
Fahrenheit 451

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I climbed up to the top of Mt Fuji in the pitch black overnight to see the sunrise, and then climbed back down during the day. It was one of the most physically exhausting activities I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach different kind of dances, some very basic yoga, and a quick intro to meditation if you're interested!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would like to share my perspectives on life with you, and learn about yours! I know a lot of general information and am a native English speaker, so I can teach you about lots of different things such as English, Math, Physics, Psychology, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, England, India, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Peru, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States