Hello world!

My name is Navin and I have a long and complicated history if you have a moment to hear about it... Born and raised on the sunny island of Singapore (actually born in Singapore but raised partially in Taiwan and partially in Singapore), I moved to Madison, Wisconsin, United States in 2004, where I finally settled down. Went to college there, graduated, and started working. Life seemed good. Seemed...

In the winter of 2014 (Jan 2014), the temperatures in Wisconsin reached a record low (-30F, -34C) and I did some soul searching... I realized that this was no way to live my life, so I packed up and moved south. Way south. I drove 26 hours with all my belongings in my car, and settled in Fort Myers, Florida, where I currently live and work.

I started out in engineering, since that's my background, but eventually decided on a career change. I became a math teacher. I started out teaching 8th grade math at a middle school for one year, but transitioned into what I consider my dream position: teaching AP Calculus to high school students.

Being a teacher involves having summers off, and having summers off means traveling the world and meeting people! So far I've backpacked throughout Western Europe, but have yet to see many other parts of the world, like Australia.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think it's an excellent idea! I love meeting new people from around the world and learning all about different cultures and of course hearing all about their crazy adventures!

Plus I like the idea of being able to help out a fellow traveler in any way I can.

Interests

Paddle boarding, kayaking, salsa dancing, ballroom dancing, working out, running, chess, and I recently picked up tennis though I'm very bad at it...

I also enjoy going to the movies, binge watching Netflix, and visiting the beach.

• dancing
• salsa dancing
• ballroom dancing
• running
• working out
• movies
• chess
• backpacking
• kayaking
• tennis
• engineering
• history
• mathematics
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Maroon 5, Matchbox 20, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Wolfgang Gartner, Usher, Pink, other top 40s stuff

Movies: Super Troopers, Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski, Anchorman, Superbad, Road Trip, Old School, Superman, The Dark Knight, Serendipity, Kate and Leopold, and many more.

Books: The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point, Harry Potter (read 'em all).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A week in Rio de Janeiro with some of the most amazing humans you'll ever meet!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, United States