Hello, my name is LaShawn Pierre. I am a small town boy getting ready to step out of his small town. I’m from Galesburg, IL. It’s okay if you dont know where it is, that’s pretty common. Haha. I am just beginning my traveling journey, and it has been my dream for as long as I can remember to travel the country and the world. I have always told myself, if nothing else in life works out, I can always count of the world to provide me with good people and new experiences. I realize that life is far too short to not explore our surrounding. We have the entire world, yet so many people never leave the 10 mile radius that is their hometown.

I am a college student at Elmhurst College. I study psychology and dance. I am the first male cheerleader at my school ever, and that place has been around since like, the 1800s. I absolutely love the college experience because there’s not a moment where I’m not surrounding myself with good people and meeting people from all different cultures and backgrounds. I have even made friends from around the world since starting there. I had a roommate from Germany and he was one of the coolest people I have met to date. He taught me many things about his culture and he even let me interview him for a psychology project because he wanted to share his life with some of the students in my department. He also taught me how to say the word pillow in German, which is really cool. Haha.

My personality is very outgoing and energetic. My glass is always half full, never half empty. Optimism helps the world go around. I want to radiate positivity and inspire people while I’m at it. Meeting new people is my coffee. First impressions are everything and can be what makes or breaks a relationship in the making. I’m overall pretty laid back. I like to just sit back and listen to music with cool people around, or go on walks, explore new scenes, etc. kind of like in Funny Face when Audrey Hepburn’s character explored and found the underground jazz club. I like that type of exploring.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am on Couchsurfing to meet new people. I am a social person and I love learning people’s stories. Hearing about their experiences, cultures, where they come from, their interests, it’s all very fulfilling to me. Making friends allows for so many new memories and is an opportunity to pick up on a new skill, or try a food that you’ve never heard of or thought of trying before.

Also, I want to travel but get the full experience from locals who know their city forwards and backwards and can show you not only the popular tourist spots, but also show you the unique places that don’t show up on my tour guide websites. It makes the experience that much better, plus you gain a friendship all while doing it.

I eventually want to host a couch surfer in the future. I think this experience is an opportunity like no other, where I can show them about me and let them into my culture and life for a few nights or however long they need to stay. It’s a good deed and would make me feel wonderful knowing that I helped out a person who needed it and enhanced their experience in a positive way.

Interests

• animals
• poetry
• photography
• music festivals
• italian food
• seafood
• fitness
• boating
• traveling
• music
• live music
• electronic music
• indie pop
• hiking
• camping
• surfing
• adventure travel
• travel
• food
• film photography
• ocean
• exploring
• indie music
• sushi
• stand up comedy
• exploring new places
• comedy
• the ocean
• poetry slam
• indie rock
• chicago
• los angeles
• mountain hiking
• health and fitness
• new york city

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I listen to an abundance of music, of all genres. But what I gravitate to most is Indie/Alternative rock. A few of my favorite bands are The 1975, Nothing But Thieves, Joy Division, Bad Suns, Empire of the Sun, POWERS, Cage the Elephants, One Direction (not that genre but can’t forget them), The XX, Cold War Kids, etc.

Movies: I really enjoy comedies and older movies. I like a lot of classics such as Psycho, Funny Face, The Wizard of Oz, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. But I also like movies that are just dumb and that’s what makes them so funny, like Ace Ventura (Jim Carrey has a special place in my heart), Neighbors, Grown Ups, Brides Maids, and just movies like that.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One amazing thing I’ve done? Well, the summer after graduating high school, I just decided on a whim to pack up my belongings (mostly just clothes) and move to Virginia Beach from my small town in Illinois. I lived there for about a month, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I lived with a few of my friends and we went to the beach every day, ate sea food, tried new foods, and met interesting people who told me that they could tell that I wasn’t from around there which made me laugh. Haha. I tried surfing and boogie boarding for the first time and almost drifted out to sea. It was pretty scary but always a great experience to talk about. It was one of those “we’ll laugh about this at a later date” type of experiences.

Teach, Learn, Share

I really want to learn more about boating and surfing. I have a connection with bodies of water and love being near and in them haha.
I want to learn to speak Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese or Mandarine.
Can teach dance. I have studied a large number of dance types since I was about 6 years old.
For people brushing up on English or do not feel they are great speakers or writers, I can teach English and help build skill.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my story, my experiences, my company. I am still learning new skills and languages and eventually would love to be able to share what I’ve learned and add to my story. A lot of my friends come to me just for companionship when they need it. They don’t want to go anywhere special, they don’t want to do anything outrageous, but they just want to hang out and talk and relax and improve our relationship. Share stories and more. That’s what I can share with my host is a companion, laughter, music, etc...

Countries I’ve Visited

United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States