Hello everyone! Kyle here 👋🏼 I was once voted as “the most likely to own a golden retriever”. While it was just a joke, it speaks to who I am as a person. My friends often say that I have an open mindset, positive demeanor, and am kind to others. I get a lot of energy from helping others and from learning new skills. I also like the feeling of accomplishing challenging tasks, like learning a new language or trying something completely new (currently learning to surf!).

I grew up in sunny Florida, in the United States. My family has an international background, and my parents even met while they were backpacking in Indonesia! This has influenced me a lot and I’m very passionate about cultural exchanges. At just 16 years old, I spent one year in The Netherlands (my country of birth), living with a Dutch family and attending a Dutch high school. I became fluent in Dutch and enjoyed the experience so much that I returned to The Netherlands in 2020 to live and work there full time.

For the past 3.5 years I’ve lived in Amsterdam and worked in the technology sector. While the experience was very rewarding and I learned a lot about creating meaningful business relationships, something inside of me told me that there was more to life than work and pursuing a paycheck. So earlier this year, I decided to quit my job to go travel the world.

I am backpacking in South America for one year in pursuit of more meaningful experiences - helping others, learning about different cultures & languages, and developing a better understanding of myself as a person.

I am so excited to make new connections through Couchsurfing, to swap stories and knowledge and culture, and to hopefully become friends!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

While visiting new countries, it can be easy to only meet other travelers and it’s actually quite hard to meet locals and to truly experience the local culture. I am excited to use couchsurfing to create genuine connections with locals, to share my experiences and stories, and to make lifelong memories with my hosts & guests!

Interests

• dancing
• education
• cooking
• yoga
• running
• crossfit
• gardening
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kite surfing
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• sports
• swimming
• languages
• language exchange
• storytelling
• biking
• weightlifting
• public speaking

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite book: Kafka on the Shore by Murakami
Favorite movie(s): I’m a huge fan of Werner Herzog’s works!
Music: I have a varied taste in music. Some of my my favorite artists are: Khruangbin, Anderson Paak, Lil Yachty, Daft Punk, Gorillaz

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My year-long cultural exchange to the Netherlands when I was 16 years old was a pivotal moment in my life. It inspired me to learn new languages, to move to a different continent, and ultimately led me to go backpack the world for one year! I can’t recommend cultural exchanges enough.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: I love language exchanges and I’ve taught English at a university level while in Ecuador. I can also teach you how to juggle, how to ride a unicycle, and computer skills. One of my biggest passions is public speaking and storytelling. If you’re interested in learning how to tell stories, how to communicate with clients, or how to tell your business’s story I can help!

Learn: I am currently at an intermediate level with Spanish. I’d like to be nearly fluent in the next 6 months so can use all of the help I can get!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am able to cook, to help around the house, and can share my knowledge of travel, languages (English & Dutch), and technology.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United States