Meeting new people, exploring new places, and sharing Chicago with travelers are my favorite things in the world. I love hanging out with old friends as well as meeting new ones, I've been known to have a drink or two, and am always up for an adventure.

Besides traveling, my greatest passion is music. I love going to see live music (especially with friends, but going alone is fun in its own way). I love pretending to be a tourist in my own city, eating and drinking the night away and exploring.

I took a break from hosting Couchsurfers for the last few years but am excited to start hosting again!

I live in the historic Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago very close to the lakefront (Lake Michigan). It's a beautiful neighborhood, extremely safe, and I feel lucky that I get to live here. It's a great location to explore the city from.

I served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia (Southern Ethiopian town of Dilla) for 2 years as a school resource developer and did a lot of HIV/AIDS & Malaria awareness and prevention . and started doing CouchSurfing while I was there. I had so many wonderful experiences that I kept it up after I moved back to Chicago. I've met some of the most amazing people in the world through Couchsurfing and I feel genuinely lucky to be part of the Couchsurfing Community.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to see, experience and do as much as I can during my brief stay on this planet, and meet as many people as I can along the way.

Couchsurfing is a place where my passion for new experiences is embraced. I think CouchSurfing is a very special thing and I want to contribute to it as much as I can.

Interests

Cooking, having fun with friends, traveling, edm/live music, dancing, hockey, skiing, reading, hiking, movies.

• dining
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• hiking
• surfing
• skiing
• hockey
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

This is hard but I'll give it a shot.

Books: This Side of Paradise -F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Catcher in the Rye -J.D. Salinger; A Study in Scarlet/The Sign of the Four -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Orientalism -Edward Said.

Movies: The Godfather, Fightclub, The Departed, The Shawshank Redemption, Patch Adams, Good Will Hunting.

Music: Who doesn't like good live jazz? Other favorites are Polo & Pan, Big Gigantic, Odesza, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Multiple times in Ethiopia some of the poorest people on the planet offered me what little food they had because they wanted nothing more than to make me feel comfortable in their home and community. For them, human relationships are the most important things in this world, and I try to remember that fact as much as possible.

Teach, Learn, Share

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Wandering is just wondering with your legs

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share my relentless optimism and desire to experience new things.

http://www.uncharted101.com/meetthelocals/608/united-states/matt/

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ethiopia, Israel, United States