CURRENT MISSION

Hit as many points on the map as time and funds will allow

ABOUT ME

I am insatiably curious and, to be somewhat of a copycat here, I have an open mind. Always looking for new experiences, sometimes anxiety or a desire to take the easier path keeps me from exploring all avenues. I'm not really into partying or anything like that, but I certainly don't say no to the occasional pub night or informal gathering. Both as a host and as a guest I believe in a balance between time spent with people to sight-see, eat, and converse, and time spent on one's own to explore and reflect.

I like to think that being Canadian comes with the terrible burden of a reputation to uphold, so I strive in all areas of life to be warm, generous, respectful, and forgiving. Or, to clarify, this is until you get promoted from guest to friend, at which point the special treatment ends and you're working in the salt mines to earn your keep like everyone else. :)

My fashion sense is nowhere near sophisticated enough for Europe, but I'm staying here for the time being anyway.

PHILOSOPHY

Well, I could deliberately make my answer less relevant to more people by stating that my favourite philosophers are Jeremy Bentham and David Hume. More usefully, however, I am a hardcore empiricist who loves science (at a distance, mostly).

All the same, I have plenty of friends who believe in things that I find patently ludicrous, and I'm sure many think the reverse is true. What makes us get along is that we're able to share our thoughts honestly and maturely with each other. Indeed, I feel that surrounding oneself with divergent viewpoints is the best way to stay grounded.

Finally, I believe, as so many do, that a wasted opportunity is a terrible thing. Acting on that belief is a work in progress.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I love to host as well as surf; they both strike me as being essential parts of the experience.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

A couple of stays with hosts abroad as well as get-togethers outside of that. No one's reported me to the police yet, so I can only presume I'm doing okay :)

Interests

When not indulging my fairly recently acquired love of travel, I enjoy going for walks, reading, playing games (electronic, card-based, and board-based are all good!), lightly socializing, and finding interesting new places to eat.

Conversation is my oxygen. Although I really don't mind if your English isn't very good, I think it important that I could have intelligent chats with someone about anything from politics to philosophy to science. Failing that, talking about travel is awesome as well. Bonus points for a knowledge of (or at least curiosity about) economics, which is my discipline.

While touching on the subject of languages, I should note that I really enjoy learning them. I will gladly help someone practice their English, and if they can help me with a foreign language in turn then that's a real bonus for me.

• culture
• fashion
• acting
• partying
• pub crawls
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• economics
• emergency services
• history
• languages
• psychology
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I'll watch just about anything if it's good, with the exception of horror. No real favourites, but I have a soft spot for animated films from the likes of Pixar and Studio Ghibli.

Music: Fairly diverse, including international, classical, symphonic metal, pop, disco, and assorted others. If it's not rap or trance there's a chance I'll enjoy it.

Books: I read lots of nonfiction, which largely ends up being about politics or economics, but I also have a decent collection of fantasy novels.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Eating meat off of a (small) sword in Kutna Hora, near Prague
-Accidentally stumbling onto David Hume's grave in Edinburgh
-Taking a hot air balloon ride over the spectacular landscape of Cappadocia in Turkey

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: On the academic side, I can teach economics or psychology. On the practical side I can help someone improve their English regardless of what level they're at. On the miscellaneous side, I can give you my (in)famous "Canadian history in ten minutes" lesson :)
Learn: As I travel I appreciate those who can teach me about their city and its people, history, language, culture, and so forth. Beyond that, if there's an academic subject someone has an interest in, I'm almost always interested in hearing more about it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Netherlands, United Kingdom