Hey! I'm a 28 year old guy from New York City who speaks Spanish, German, French, and some Chinese. I've traveled the world to 80+ countries and have met people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. My passions are languages, geography, world history, and personal development. I am introverted, which means that I am laid back and relaxed, and after socializing I like to re-charge my social battery by spending time walking in nature, reading, listening to music, or doing things on my own. I enjoy good conversation, and I try to learn the languages of the places visit, and learn as much as I can from the people, and partake in its culture and traditions. I am not the type of tourist who takes pictures of everything, but I like to see what is most authentic and real about the lifestyle and people of a place.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Of course, the factor of needing to spend little money in order to travel is a key reason why Couchsurfing helps a lot. But to get closer to what's real and authentic about a place I prefer to meet its people, rather than stay in a hotel or hostel, where you will generally meet other travelers. I understand that Couchsurfing involves people out of the kindness of their hearts giving accommodations to travelers, for one reason or another they sympathize with travelers and wish to meet and share their homes with them. I like to associate myself with such people who do good for others. And I appreciate these gestures of kind-heartedness and I strive to return to them the favor in giving conversation and engaging with them, or in whatever way they prefer, such as, sharing a meal, having a drink, and so on.

Interests

• culture
• books
• coffee
• history
• parks
• museums
• culture exchange
• historical places
• philosphy
• coffee shops
• bookshops
• bookstores
• culture and history

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all genres of music, from alternative music like Moonchild to more popular stuff like Coldplay. I like blues, jazz, some hip-hop, techno, house, Latin music, Brazilian bossa nova, 90s shoegaze, some Chinese shoegaze music from Taiwan, some French electronic, rock like Oasis, and some 80s pop.

I like historical books that involve a broad view of history. The last book I read was The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan. Some other of my favorite books were Who Rules The World? by Noam Chomsky and A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn.

I do not generally watch movies. But I sometimes like to relax and watch a comedy. One of my favorite comedy movies is Anchorman with Will Ferrel.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I turned my life around from having a tough childhood to becoming a positive, forgiving, and understanding person.
I biked around most of Japan for three months, staying on many farms and in country houses, as well as in the big cities.
I visited friends during wartime in Ukraine for several weeks.
I lived in Mexico for a year with a family in San Luis Potosi and learned Spanish.
I stayed on a Monastery in the mountains in northern Peru for some weeks.

Teach, Learn, Share

Let's exchange languages! I speak English. But I also speak fluent Spanish. My German and French are also quite good. And incidentally I understand and speak a bit of Portuguese, as well as Mandarin Chinese, the latter I have studied for years as a hobby, that is, the Chinese language. I have also been quite interested in Russian, but more recently, and I believe that to be something I will get more into over time. Russian history, culture, and language, that is.

History is another major interest. Some specific topics of interest: Roman and Byzantine Empires, 7th Century Syria and Iraq, 8th Century Tang China, 9th century Scandinavia and Andalusian Spain, the 13th century Mongolian conquest, 16th century Spanish conquest, 17th century Dutch and Russian expansion, 18th century American independence and the Napoleonic Wars, the 20th century both World Wars and the Cold War. I could go on and on about this stuff.

Other interests: philosophy, music, personal growth, sharing experiences, living in the present moment, positivity, open-mindedness, liberalism, German culture, Spanish culture, Chinese culture, Brazilian culture, Japanese culture, Russian culture.

If you have learned or are interested in any of these, we will have lots to talk about!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am hoping to have a good environment with positive vibes where we take an interest in each other's worldview and experiences. There seem to quite a large number of impressive and amazing people on this site, and I am therefore humbled and honored to be able to meet the people who host their homes to travelers as such.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom