CURRENT MISSION

on yet another crusade to take over the world

ABOUT ME

I am the Executive Director of a non-profit called Global Team Players Foundation. We empower athletes to engage the community in philanthropy. We do this by coordinating scholarships and grants aligned with their career goals beyond being an athlete.

If you are interested in learning more, please let me know!

PHILOSOPHY

"Life, [livingness], and the pursuit of happiness"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I would love to host, but I currently surf, ride-share, and go to local meet-ups and events.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I don't have much hosting experience yet.

However, I couchsurfed in NY, Boston, Columbus, DC, and New Orleans for a period of 2 months when I began creating my non-profit when I returned from Korea (literally starting the journey when I got off the plane and went straight to the UN). I started the quest again within a month and surfed in Santa Fe, Denver, KC, Nashville, Indy, and Columbus on my way to New York where we incorporated in Hoboken, NJ.

Regarding my surfing experiences, so far my experiences have been amazing. Everyone is overly generous, but I am actually quite self-sufficient. You don't have to cook for me. You don't have to buy me dinner. You don't have to pick me up or give me a ride. You don't have to have a couch, even. I just like to meet people, but you don't even have to hang out with me (a shower and roof is fine for me).

Still, I do enjoy meeting new people, and I believe and respect this community immensely. We are creating something important here, and I want to support its long-term sustainability.

My CS experience began in Korea. Sometimes teachers in Korea get fired early, and they need a place to stay. I created an online directory for teachers in need in Korea, and I recruited and trained over 30 officers of our association to address this need. I went to a few CS parties, too.

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NOTE:
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Even though I am comfortable with CS being used to meet people for friendly or romantic purposes, please know that I am not gay. Some people may be confused by my username (russthebear) and my organization's logo (rainbow colors), perhaps even by pictures of me in speedos with my water polo teammates (some of whom are gay) or even the fact that I take dorky pictures with purple flowers or wear pink shirts. Please know, however, that I enjoy hanging out with members of the gay community, going to gay bars, and surfing couches of gay hosts. In fact, more than 40% of everyone who has hosted me has been gay. All have been positive experiences.

Interests

I'll try anything at least once!

• dancing
• philanthropy
• cooking
• cocktails
• athlete
• partying
• flowers
• socializing
• surfing
• hinduism
• sports
• olympics
• water polo
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I love movies, and I have made more than 10 short films. I particularly like stop-action. I have also worked on several major motion pictures, including Academy Award winning films like "Ray" (Best Picture).

I love live music of any kind, and I am always up to going to see a show! My favorite band is "Steel Panther" (formerly "Metal Skool"), which is a raunchy comedic cover band from LA (think of the American version of "Spinal Tap"). They are getting quite big these days doing shows all over the world.

I don't like books, but I do like reading and doing research. I am currently reading a lot on the UNDP and the projects they have in the private sector.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-played in NCAA Championships

-won Gold Medal / MVP 16th Maccabiah Games in Israel (Jewish Olympics, but I am only half jewish and half roman catholic, though some would say im mostly mormon and perhaps a bit hindu)

-played on US National Team (slept in my car to attend trainings)

-2 page spread in Sports Illustrated (yes, really, picture in my profile pics)

-Studied 4 languages in preparation for pursuit of professional water polo contract in Europe

-played professional water polo in Spain, Serbia, and Hungary

-when I was inducted into my high school's Hall of Fame, I called my mother on my cell phone during my speech (picture in my profile pics), thanked her for supporting me (she wasn't able to attend), and then had the entire audience do a big cheer

-Been to North Korea and was almost arrested for trying to take a leaf from a tree

-Lived in apartment overlooking Chinese embassy in Belgrade Serbia (with a view looking through the bus-sized hole going through it)

-went to Naomi Campbell's birthday party in Saintes Tropez and taught super models how to swing dance

-kissed a princess (but didn't turn into a prince...still a frog)

-stopped traffic on a 5 lane highway to unpile a 6-car pile-up (one driver was pregnant, but she didn't go into labor)

-Movie Debut = "Whatever It Takes" - I was an extra, but I was in almost every scene and I hung out with the actors during meals

-one night in bangkok (well...each time)

-ran away from home when I was 18 and slept in my van for a week (but I still went to school and water polo practice)

-crashed a cocktail party at the United Nations (also attended the conference in the General Assembly Hall)

Teach, Learn, Share

I believe that "teaching is the best form of learning."

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, China, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, North Korea, Serbia, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hungary, Italy, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, United States

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