I am a racquet-sport afficionado, bike-packer, volunteer-archaeologist, YouTuber, musician, and computer-tinkerer.

I enjoy jogging, going to the gym, repairing bicycles, comparing different languages, learning new musical instruments, and meeting fellow travellers.

I have had several 'careers' of sorts; I have worked as an archaeologist, classical clarinettist, audio engineer, academic tutor, and flute/sax/clarinet teacher. Nowadays I teach music online and produce YouTube videos :)

I travel with my wife (Melissa) and daughter (Mira, born April 2021). Mira is a great houseguest; she sleeps 11 hours every night, and loves to play with everyone she meets! We have another baby on the way - he will likely be born in Tbilisi in mid-May 2022.

To get to know us a little better, check out..

...our YouYube videos:

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCxiC_Pmoy2orPTF7akISw6w

...and Melissa's Instagram:

@melissa.ann.murphy

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am a very social person!

I love to meet new people, hear their stories, learn from them, and give the same back to my hosts.

Whenever I think fondly on my travels, I recall the shared-experiences I've had with locals.

We usually spend our days out of our host's hair; we walk c. 15 kilometres most days. We love to get to know new places the slow way :)

My family is very physically active - non smokers and very occasional drinkers.

Interests

• fitness
• gardening
• music
• tennis
• philosophy
• squash
• it
• family
• grammar

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Nightwish, Bill Withers, Artie Shaw, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Toto, Sungazer.

Movies: I enjoy very short movies... Artie Shaw: Time is all You've Got, Jungle Book, 12 Angry Men, Lion King, Life of Brian,

Books: 4-Hour Work Week, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, Hatchet, Atlas Shrugged, Ordinary Men.

Movies and books are great, but nowadays I mostly listen to podcasts! Namely: econtalk, philosophize this, the WAN show... to name a few.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

While I was excavating in Israel, I discovered a 4000+ year-old Egyptian scarab with an inscription which my friend read right out of the ground! (picture in my CS album)

The scarab was made of faience. The inscription read 'Men Kheper Re' (Thuthmoses III) - it now rests in the Eretz Israel Museum.

Teach, Learn, Share

Not sure what this section is... I'll give it a shot though!

Teach: I am a life-long teacher! I can teach and have taught formal English grammar, Latin, Ancient Greek, music theory and harmony, tennis, weight-training, philosophy, and music production.

Learn: I am interesting in learning Georgian language and writing, cooking, computer programming, and uncommon woodwind musical instruments like tárogató.

Share: I can share my adventure pram with families who'd like to do challenging hikes with their child (Mira will take up one of the two seats!).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Tennis court and equipment. Great view of Melbourne, home-cooked food every day, at least one bicycle for guests, internet connection, desktop computer/home-office arrangement, a baby to play with : )

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Turkey, United States