CURRENT MISSION

To visit the world beyond Google Street View...

ABOUT ME

I've lived in NYC for two years and STILL can't find an apartment big enough to host, but for now I can at least show people around the city I've grown to love (when it's not throwing crazies at me!).

I enjoy (but do not limit myself to):
Climbing over boulder-strewn mountainsides
Watching people try to use my bony shoulders as pillows
Spending two hours making dinner with friends
Getting lost in room-sized landscape paintings
Geeking out over sustainable buildings
Dancing at all times of day for no freaking reason
Reading newspapers as if one day I'll be president

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Since I have overbearing landlords I cannot host, but I am willing to show off Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn, as I have lived/worked in all three boroughs. I know some good gay clubs too, for those who require such activities. I even know a bit of the architectural and urban planning history of the city and transit system, which I am happy to share with anyone who doesn't bore easily...

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Having surfed with a mere four people so far, I'd say Couchsurfing is about the most enlightening way you can travel. One host even went so far as to give me his room for the night while he traveled to Brussels after knowing me for only four hours! Since up til this point I've been a hopelessly cynical curmudgeon, this site has been wonderfully helpful in my reeducation!

Interests

Just about any person/topic on this website: http://www.ted.com/

• architecture
• design
• dancing
• clubbing
• reading
• traveling
• bouldering
• music
• rock climbing
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Goodbye Lenin!, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Up, Finding Nemo, Kooyanisqatsi, Lola Rennt, 5th Element, Khadak, Tokyo Sonata... always excited to see more!

Music:
Fela Kuti, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Led Zeppelin, Sir Victor Uwaifo, Gabriel Omolo, Thomas Mapfumo, Eduardo Lecuona, Frederic Chopin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, "Sunrise" by Bulgarian Voices/Huun Huur Tu/Moscow Art Trio, Omara Portuondo, Perez Prado, Buena Vista Social Club, the song "Peanut Vendor" by just about anyone, Ella Fitzgerald, Ali Farka Toure, Fats Waller... These people and songs have saved my life a million times over...

Books:
Beloved, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Fast Food Nation... I like reading things that don't shy away from the world's problems, but instead show ways to deal with those problems gracefully and intelligently.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Helped to design and build a school for 300 kids in Uganda. It's just about the simplest thing an architect could do, but it was the first built project I worked on and definitely one of the happiest contributions I've made to the world.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've got an artistic eye and a musical ear, and would love to help with anything related to architecture, urban planning, murals, etc.

I can also teach a bit of music and dance from Ghana and Central African Republic thanks to a random college course I assisted with for three years. Also some swing dance, though out of almost two years of practice I only know about 7 moves!

Countries I’ve Visited

Costa Rica, Netherlands, Uganda

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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