Fully vaccinated, boosters up to date I would like to continue travelling and meeting as many interesting people as possible. This is definitely the best way to move beyond the stereotypical view of the world taken on by those who either don't want to or can not travel.

ABOUT ME

I finished university in San Francisco in 1993 and moved to Ukraine to work for a historical museum in Odessa, Ukraine. While working there, we travelled around the country conducting video interviews with Ukrainian survivors of the Holocaust. I was supposed to be in Ukraine for 6-8 months, which was 30 years ago and I haven't left Europe yet!!
I suppose I am an immigrant here as I have just received my Slovak "Green card" and am now working on my passport. I do visit family in the States from time to time (I try to make it back to the U.S. at least once per year and C.S. is by far the best way to travel and explore the U.S. through the eyes of local hosts.) Strangely enough, with all of the opportunities I have had to travel the globe, I have not travelled or explored the U.S. very much. I can take you anywhere you want on the Moscow metro, but I have no idea what Washington D.C. looks like! I am now hoping to experience more and more of the U.S. through the eys of the C.S. community there.

PHILOSOPHY

I think my "personal philosophy" at this point is that the slower I go, the more I see. I have for the past few years really been trying to teach myself to slow down,,t o REALLY listen to people and try to learn as much as I can. This may sound cheesy but when I was growing up I read allot of Albert Camus and have always wanted to live in the same type of way he describes in a few of his works. For me, coming from North America, his characters sitting on their simple balconies watching the world go by (the men on the trolley going to the football game below his balcony) has always had an appeal and my wife and I are trying to live this way here in piestany. Slow and peaceful (although she may argue that I work to much to make this claim!) Couch Surfing is absolutely the best way I have found to expand on this way of life as when I meet new friends through C.S. we both understand that we may have limited time with each other and therefore our interactions take on an air of importance you usually don't find in everyday life. During a 2 month hitchhiking trip through the Balkans and Turkey I spent from 2-4 hours per evening sitting with our hosts ( a wonderful Turkish family in Antalya) just sitting with them each evening on their terrace talking about the world around us. We realized we don't even spend this much time sitting and speaking with our own family here so in a way this trip and the family we met through C.S. helped us to realize things about our life here at home.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I own a language school here in Slovakia so I am quite busy as we continue to expand throughout Western Slovakia-Bratislava-Trnava-Hlhovec-Piestany-Nove Mesto ( www.cmlanguages.sk ) I want to try to help with a Slovak version of this site as well as continuing to meet people through the site.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

ALLOT!!!!! (Also with G.F.L and H.C.) But now C.S. converted. I am slowly explaining to our friends here in Piestany the WONDERS of C.S. and how it works. I have many friends here who are eager to travel so I have been explaining the ideas of this site and how it is more of a cultural exchange concept for truly getting to know people from the places they/we go. Actually the best way to explain this site to people is to have your friends meet couchsurfers you host,,everything then explains itself!

Interests

Travel, reading, sports (I play baseball for Topolcany in the Slovak 1st league), cooking and meeting people.

• reading
• traveling
• sports
• meeting new people
• cooking and eating

Music, Movies, and Books

I LOVE horror films (the landing sequence from the original "Alien" remains the most realistic interpretation of humans landing on another planet for me) but sometimes i watch scary movies to late at night and have to switch to "Animal Cops Houston" for relief. Memento was for me interesting and I used to live next to a theatre in Moscow that showed non stop Tarkovsky,,sweet if you like era Soviet film. I have recently discovered the wonder of Bollywood as well which has really helped me improve my dance move repitoire!!
Music, everything from GBH/The Descendents to Sia/Tchaikovsky and much in between..Depends on the playlist,,we have 4 hours of Slovak/Czech/german beerhall music if need be!! I read constantly.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Worked for a few years in the Bering Sea on a crab ship (YES as everyone asks,,EXACTLY like on
"Deadliest Catch". Was definately the most difficult work I have ever managed but also some amazing scenery (as well as great breakfasts if you like King Crab)

Teach, Learn, Share

really enjoy meeting fellow travellers and exchanging stories. I have always appreciated meeting people even if just for a few hours to hear what they have to say. I met an Australian woman in 1993 in Budapest who had hitch hiked from China, through central Asia/Russia to hungary. I think this was my 1st encounter with a true traveller and she really influenced my views,,we spent perhaps 2 hours talking and then she was gone but has always stayed with me in my mind as an example of the need to really listen and appreciate the brief time we may have with each other.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Interesting conversation

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Australia, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kuwait, Laos, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Thailand, Ukraine, United States

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