Oh, hey there! Didn’t see you! Welcome to my profile. I’m Sam, a writer and comedy improviser/performer who is endlessly restless. I’m also a bit of a couch connoisseur 🤔

The first time I ever left my home country was Summer of 2016, when I solo backpacked through Europe, an experience that led me to see the value of connecting with strangers and the kindness of fellow wanderers. I left the US in June to backpack SE Asia and Australia, and now NZ! I graduated from uni last year, and I studied English literature, Creative Writing, and Spanish. I was supposed to go back in September 2017 but a couchsurfing host convinced me to forgo my plans and keep traveling. My current adventure is hitch hiking through NZ until March, when I have to fly out :/

On a serious note, I am more interested in the local's perspective now that I have had some travel experience under my belt. To me, CS isn't free accommodation, it is the opportunity to meet people without the barriers that society often place between us. It erases the fear of "Will they think I'm weird for walking up to them and talking to them" that people often encounter in public. I don't copy/paste requests, so if you receive one from me, rest assured that I read your profile and decided that I want to meet you, and here's hoping that you are reading mine as well!

Fun fact: I am half American, half Burmese, and I've actually lived all my life in the States. This is a test to see if you read my profile heh heh

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I owe a lot of who I am today to this community. Before CS, I was chained to an itinerary, always worrying about what comes next, never living in the present. Through this community I’ve done things I couldn’t have imagined— sleeping in garages, boats, naturist communities, beaches, back of campervans. I trust that the universe will put me where I need to go, that I’ll meet the people who are supposed to be in my life. I’ve found a new way of traveling and that is through simplicity and friendship.

Meeting people and trading stories is one of my favorite past times. I look forward to connecting with people during my travels. I live for collecting experiences, as it inspires good writing and profound thinking. At the end of the day, it is the people I meet that shape my adventures. I believe that every person I meet while travelling, I was destined to meet for some reason. I write a lot of nonfiction and fiction, so maybe you'll be in an essay/story of mine one day!

Couchsurfing is also a great platform for good karma. I am a heavy believer in paying it forward. The sheer generosity and kindness of the hosts I have had are unmatchable but I will do my best when I host myself.

Most importantly, it is through CS that I met some very dear friends of mine. I look forward to hosting them (and many others) when they come to visit me :) not to mention when you’re saving up for the next adventure, you can bring the travel to you. One of my hosts in Oz literally changed the course of my life when I stayed with him

Interests

I love film, especially Wes Anderson films. I am obsessed with the Oscars (at one point I had memorized the best picture winner for all 90 years of its existence). I love Emma Stone, Saiorse Ronan, Frances McDormand, & of course Meryl Streep.

I am passionate about comedy improv, which is a form of live theater in which the plot, characters, and dialogue are invented on the spot. Nothing is rehearsed!

• writing
• reading
• dance
• film
• improv
• good conversation
• improv comedy
• creative writing

Music, Movies, and Books

Lorde, Paramore, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, Carly Rae Jepsen, the intro of Pulp Fiction, lots of old school like '80s music. The YMCA will always be a hot jam, & I’d like it to be my funeral procession song.

I am trying to get more into hip-hop i.e. Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino.

Books: Self-Help by Lorrie Moore, anything Raymond Carver, Maggie Nelson

Favorite movies: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Up, Blue Jasmine, Birdman, Moonrise Kingdom, Amelie

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I left the United States for the first time, it was for a 2 month adventure in Europe by myself. I travelled to 9 countries in 4 weeks.

In 2017, I originally left to backpack SE Asia and Australia for 3 months then planned to return to the US to get a job. One of my CS hosts convinced me to keep on traveling, and I am forever grateful. I am travelling without an itinerary (a very new form of travelling for me) and I've already hand-written 300 pages about this particular/current adventure!

Other highlights:

Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef
In Australia when I slept in boats, garages, back of vans, cars, campervans, beaches
Being away from home for 8 months when it was supposed to be only 3
Crawling through war tunnels in Vietnam

Teach, Learn, Share

I love improv, which is a useful skill to have as it forces you to drop your own ideas and embrace what is offered to you. I am a great storyteller, enthusiastic listener, plus I know many fun theater exercises to improve listening and spontaneity.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have had quite some unusual and hilarious traveling stories that always make for great conversation. For instance I've accidentally mooned an entire village, had to take an enema in the kitchen bathroom of a restaurant (given to me by the owner), and was briefly detained at the Singapore Airport (each a separate event). I am driven to hear as many perspectives as I can as I find travelers to be some of the wisest people. I'm always happy to lend a hand with whatever help you may need.

I'm not a great cook but I've got a way with dish washing. I’m trying to learn how to cook so I am keen to help/try my hand at it. I can make a cup of masala chai (Indian style tea).

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Ethiopia, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United States