I'm an electrical engineer from Vancouver. I say 'from' because that is where I have lived the longest, however I grew up abroad in Malaysia, Indonesia and Scotland and have done lots of travelling when I was younger. After spending 10 years in Canada working and studying, I finally succumbed to the travel bug and and am loving it! Currently I am travelling through Colombia with my girlfriend Roxy.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think the best part about going somewhere new is to meet new people; after all, it is the people that make the place. I am looking to make new friends, get new perspectives, and learn a new language.

Interests

I really enjoy the outdoors. It was one of the reasons I decided to move to Vancouver after high-school. Whether it is to see a breathtaking view, swim under a waterfall or bike down a mountain, I am always down for an adventure. Hiking and camping are what I seem to find myself doing most of the time, but I also love to kayak and snowboard. Recently, I have been getting into exploring the canyons surrounding Vancouver and rappelling into their beautiful and pristine waterfalls.

The last thing my dad said to me before I went to University was: "Whatever you choose to do, make sure that you love what you do". With that in mind, I also really enjoy technical problems and hacking. I am an active member of the Vancouver Hackspace when I teach electronics and safe use of workshop machines (especially laser cutters). I am also passionate about computer programming.

I also participate with fixit events which I am not always the most successful at. Fixing consumer electronics is not the easiest when they were never designed to be fixed in the first place, but occasionally I have some success at bringing them back to life and out of the landfill (at least for a while).

• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• camping
• snowboarding
• programming
• finance
• canyoneering
• fixing
• linux
• canyoning
• hacking
• arduino
• laser cutters

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favourite movies tend to be on the quirky side (Amelie, Captain Fantastic, Safety Not Guaranteed). Black comedies are always a hit with me (In Bruges, The Lobster, Death at a Funeral, Dr. Strangelove etc). Anything Wes Anderson. I am also a big fan of movies that surround significant real political events or people (Tambien la Lluvia, The Motorcycle Diaries, Snowden, etc)

Teach, Learn, Share

Part of the reason I'm on couch surfing is because I am interested in language exchange. I speak English fluently and would love to learn Spanish. I would be interested in teaching some English in exchange for a bit of Spanish.

I'm quite technically savvy, especially when it comes to electrical or software systems. I'm always eager to learn and teach anything relating to that.

I enjoy fixing things, whether it is a hair dryer, a leaky pipe or a broken door - I am always happy to figure these things out together with someone else. Even if it doesn't work out in the end, I always hope that we learn something together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Scotland