CURRENT MISSION

Enjoying my last summer before starting grad school this fall! I'm traveling with my girlfriend Kaitlin after going to a retreat in Albuquerque.

ABOUT ME

I'm finishing up a yearlong service program with Sojourners in Washington, D.C. I'm passionate about social justice, and am exploring a variety of forms of spirituality before starting Divinity School in the fall. Other things about me: I love water polo and swimming, I'm vegetarian (used to be vegan), and I like to make foods from scratch (bread, yoghurt, ice cream, granola, etc...) as well as just good old home cooking.

PHILOSOPHY

I'm into equity, social justice, and allyship in a variety of causes. I'm Christian, and to me following Jesus means lifting the voices of those who are oppressed, which in our country right now means people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, women, and many other intersectional identities. As a straight white man, I want to do my best to be an ally and am always eager to learn more.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm new to Couch Surfing, so I'm not really sure what to say. But I can assure you, you can expect a nice cooked meal if you let me use your couch for the night and your kitchen in the morning!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So far very little. I've used it in the past when studying abroad in Europe; this is my first time looking for a place to stay in the U.S.

Interests

Aquatic sports
Meditation (Buddhist, Christian, Yoga)
Theater (acting, watching)
Everything Russian (ex-Soviet Union works, too)
Food (discussions on types of diets or just cooking in general)
Religion (I didn't grow up as part of any particular religion, and so am fascinated by the variety of world religions out there. I more recently have become Christian, but love to discuss the topic and hear what other people's experiences have been)
Swing dance - I'm a beginner, but I'm hoping to improve!

• writing
• theater
• acting
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• traveling
• hiking
• surfing
• sports
• water polo
• swimming
• international relations
• languages
• philosophy
• religion
• mountains
• christianity
• theology
• contemplation

Music, Movies, and Books

I love reading books on theology, or anything to do with the Caucasus or the rest of the former Soviet Union. As for movies, I like to learn something from what I watch - simple action movies or comedies don't quite do it for me. As for music, I mostly listen to instrumental relaxing music while I study - I don't have a smart phone, so I really only listen to music while I'm at my desk. However, I do love going out dancing, and really can get down to anything, as long as I'm with fun people and a good crowd!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm not very good at making plans. Sometimes it works out, but sometimes that can lead to panicky situations while traveling. But some of those panicky situations can also be the best highlights of the entire trip - like when I lost my credit card traveling in Germany the first time I was here four years ago, on a Friday afternoon and therefore had to wait until Monday to get it back. On Saturday night I ended up in Heidelberg with no place to stay and very little money where all the hostels were full. It just so happened to also be one in three nights of the year that they set off the "Burning of the Castle", for which they light up flares to make the castle appear to burn, and then set off fireworks from the bridge crossing the Neckar River in the valley below. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time (up on the mountain with a crowd of people I hadn't really meant to follow), and got to watch the amazing show without even having known it was going to happen. I then made friends with some other travelers there, and ended up sleeping on the floor at one of their places. The next day, we went hiking in the hills together, and I shared the only thing I had to give with them - a box of Chak-Chak, a Russian/Tatar dessert made of fried dough and honey, that I had brought with me from Kazan, Russia, where I had been just before. That weekend ended up being one of the most stressfully exhilarating weekends I've yet experienced, and I'm forever thankful to the friends/hosts I got to know up there on the hill while watching the fireworks.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a native speaker of English (American), and speak fluent Russian and German. I'm learning French and Turkish as well, and would be happy to impart knowledge to anyone else learning those languages at a lower level, or even gain some myself from someone at a higher!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Russian Federation, United States