G’day! I’m Mark and I hail from Sydney. I love connecting with good-natured, fun-loving people who enjoy great conversation. I always try to stop by a chess club or science museum when I’m in a new location. I love programming, juggling and learning Vietnamese in my spare time. I teach English for a living and am deeply interested in language learning. Though my Vietnamese isn’t great, I look forward to one day getting to the stage where I can read novels and watch films in Vietnamese.

Back in the day, I did my college in the States and my masters in the United Kingdom. I’ve worked at an orphanage for six months in South Africa and spent four months living in the Philippines working as a legal advocate for stateless people. Many of my most treasured memories are from those times.

I’m double vaxed, double boosted and ready to let the good times roll!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I’m on a five month adventure traveling through the Stares, Europe and East Asia. I’m here to hang out, meet fellow travelers and explore new places together.

Interests

• chess
• traveling
• juggling
• jazz
• programming
• javascript
• learning vietnamese

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC: Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Thirsty Merc, Girl Talk, Biggie Smalls.

MUSICALS: In the Heights, Hamilton, Les Miserable, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Miss Saigon, Fun Home, The Colour Purple, Hadestown, A Strange Loop.

MOVIES: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Birdman, Her, Lost in Translation, The Revenant.

BOOKS: The Handmaid’s Tale, One-hundred Years of Solitude, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejuduce, Elizabeth Costello.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I wrote and performed in a musical theatre piece about the life of the 1972 World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer that featured a lived blitz chess game on stage with a different audience member each night, commentated by freestyle rappers. It won a couple of play competitions and we performed it at the Stella Adler Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. It was an amazing ride.
I hitchhiked from Botswana to Zimbabwe and back to see Victoria Falls.
I slept outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre in Bew York for three nights in the cancellation line for Hamilton tickets and ended up seeing the original cast on the final day the original cast performed.

Teach, Learn, Share

TEACH: I teach English for a living to Australians sitting their end of year exams. If you’re learning English, I’m eager to offer tips and guidance to help you on your journey to conversing like a native speaker.

LEARN: I studied Vietnanese in college and have been trying to become better for many years. It’s an enjoyable and rewarding, if occasionally, frustrating process. Nếu bạn có thể nói tiếng Việt, tôi rất muốn nói với bạn. :)

SHARE: A meal, a smoothie, a yogurt, a chess game—whatever you like. Sharing is caring.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love good conversation and would love to share that with hosts. Pancakes on the Rocks is one of my favourite Australian restaurants. In that spirit, I make it a habit whenever I stay with friends to make them pancakes and share that slice of Sydney with you. Also, if you’re learning English, I can provide advice about speaking and conversing that will help you improve.

I realise that opening up your home to someone you’ve never met before can be a daunting experience. I am also tidy, considerate and easy-going and will, of course, treat your place with the same care and respect I would my own.

I'm more than happy to bring a small trinket or snack from my travels—but I also travel very light, so your gift may have to be very small! If you want something specific, please let me know.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Botswana, Cambodia, Canada, China, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lesotho, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, England, Philippines, South Africa, United States