I grew up in Connecticut, got my degree in Chemical Engineering, and then worked for several years in the consumer goods industry as a technical project lead and process engineer. I'm currently taking a long break from pretty much everything mentioned in the prior sentence to see more, experience more, and learn more of the world.

Semi-sensical ramblings about my journey and general thoughts about travel can be found at dontfearyourfood.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I left my career, home, and the majority of my possessions in September of 2016 in order to make this trip around the world. I enjoy the variety of accommodation options around the world from camping with hammocks on the beach to hostels in a busy city to getting the chance to stay with locals via CouchSurfing.

I think that meeting people through CouchSurfing either as a host, a guest, or a hangout partner is an amazing way to get a better view of the place I'm visiting or of where my new friend is from.

Interests

Discovering new cities, language practice, cooking

• books
• cooking
• coffee
• live music
• hiking
• mountains
• craft beer
• journaling
• coffee shops

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy listening, watching, reading anything almost anything that can teach me something or make me think about the world differently. I'm open to lots of suggestions regardless of genre. That being said, as an eclectic selection of each category, I like:

Music:
Andrew Bird, D'Angelo, David Bowie, The Front Bottoms, Grimes, Joanna Newsom, LCD Soundsystem, Neutral Milk Hotel, Perfume Genius, St. Vincent, Sufjan Stevens, The Talking Heads, and Vampire Weekend

Podcasts:
All Songs Considered, Comedy Bang Bang, Radiolab, Song Exploder, The Partially Examined Life, The Tim Ferriss Show, This American Life, and WTF with Marc Maron.

Movies:
Before Sunrise Trilogy, Idiocracy, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (and the rest of Wes's anthology), Magnolia, Princess Mononoke, The Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense, Wet Hot American Summer

TV:
Breaking Bad, Community, Freaks and Geeks, Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, The Wire.

Books:
100 Years of Solitude, Kafka on The Shore, Narcissus and Goldmund, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Vagabonding
What I've been reading lately: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/66465101-kyle

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Overcoming the fear of the decision to leave my career has led to days, weeks, and months of amazing experiences.

If we meet, ask me to share a story about: cageless shark diving near Durban, camping in northern Namibia, motorbiking along the Vietnam-Laos border, or sleeping next to a camel in Rajasthan.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you advanced mathematics of thermal diffusion and what it's like to work for corporate consumer goods company... or!... I can share one of my many hobbies such as cooking, home crafting of beer and whiskey, coffee roasting and preparation, or camping

I'd love to learn more languages (especially Spanish during my tripping through Latin America) and anything that you find interesting about your country. I also want to know your passion. I think everyone has something that they think is the most exciting thing in the world. I want to know what it is for you and I'd love for you to teach me more about it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, jokes, and good conversation.

I'd also be happy to share anything you want to know about my own country or my perspective on the other countries I've been lucky enough to visit.

For hosting me, I'd love to buy or cook a meal for you and share something to drink.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Africa, United States