ABOUT ME

To put it simply, I take life as it comes.

To put it into a jumble of thoughts as they come to mind:
I enjoy pretty much any activity that lets me be outdoors hiking, camping, fishing, disc golf, etc..., but I don't have the stamina for a lot of running, about 45min max. I like have the freedom to be spontaneous, and I am usually up for almost anything, I tend to be pretty quiet around people I don't know well and I'm pretty bad at small talk, but I'm still pretty easy going, easily entertained, good sense of humor, I am not very picky when it comes music as long as its not deafening.
Not the type to go to a rave, not someone who would intentionally inconvenience someone else (I wouldn't play loud music, leave dirty dishes, get sloppy drunk).
I enjoy cooking and learning new styles of cooking and would definitely be willing to make/help make dinner in exchange for a place to stay.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I enjoy getting to know new people and seeing how people, regardless of their background, generally have more in common than they would imagine. The main reason I am on Couch surfing is because I became interested after hearing some of my friends recount their own experiences traveling around the US during spring break and over the summer. Another reason: when I was planning my trip to Korea in 2014, I tried to buy the absolute cheapest tickets possible, some of which required all night stays in airports. It would have been fun to meet new people and couch surf instead of sleeping in airports (and that one 24hr McDonalds near Gimpo Int'l airport). Fun Fact: both terminals at Gimpo airport will lock the doors and kick you out 12:00am. In the end I didn't end up couch during my Korea trip, but would definitely be interested if the opportunity presented itself

Interests

I like to live in the moment and I have no problem adapting to the situation. I enjoy pretty much anything outdoors: fishing, hiking, cycling, swimming, climbing, camping, slacklining, disc golf, and target/skeet shooting. I'm also perfectly content watching TV, surfing the web, or playing video games. I love to cook and learn new styles of cooking. I get along with pretty much any animal I come across. Other stuff about me: Eagle Scout, senior chemistry major (Graceland University, Lamoni, IA), certified lifeguard, delivery driver.

• animals
• culture
• cooking
• running
• drinking
• video games
• tv
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• fishing
• hiking
• camping
• hunting
• surfing
• rock climbing
• swimming
• golf
• world cup
• business
• chemistry
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

I've seen way too much TV for my lifetime, but I couldn't name a song to save my life. I read quite a bit up through middle school and high school, but I probably couldn't name the book I read.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Went on a camping road trip adventure for spring break, along with three other friends. The whole trip ended up being a little over 3,000 miles with about 50 hours of driving. Lamoni, IA to Denver, CO to the Pecos Wilderness near Pecos, NM. At Pecos we got to camp in a gorgeous pine forested valley next to a beautifully clear snow-fed stream. We climbed the tallest nearby peak, which provided an amazing view, and slacklined with a stunning backdrop. Left Pecos and headed to Fossil Creek, near Camp Verde and Strawberry, AZ. Fossil Creek is a beautiful spring fed creek surrounded by Arizona desert, seemed to be a very popular destination. From Fossil Creek we drove through Moab, UT, missed the turn off to Arches National Park, stopped by the Grand Canyon (too awe-inspiring to put into words), and ended up camping at the base of the mountain near Monticello, UT. The mountain at Monticello offered a spectacular view when we woke up, and I wish we could have have spent another day or two but we didn't have the time. From there we went back through Denver, back to Lamoni. Everything ended up coming together to produce a very full, exhausting, and awesome spring break.

I know it just says one, but I took took the time to write about my spring break trip and I don't want to just erase it, so I'm going to just give a list of the places I went during my trip to Korea and not everything I got to experience while there: Flew from Kansas City, MO through Denver, CO to SanFrancisco: overnight in the airport. SanFrancisco to Seoul-Incheon, train to Gimpo: kicked out at 12am, walked around with my bags and eventually was directed to a 24 hr McDonalds around 2:30am to spend the night ( FYI, it is supprisingly difficult to find someone who speaks English that late at night, but on the plus side, Korea is safe enough that you CAN walk around with your stuff in the middle of the night even though it is still uncomfortable) and then got to find my way back to the airport from McDonalds flew to Jeju island. Slept a full 24hrs once I found a bed and stayed at Korea International School (KIS-Jeju campus) with a friend who was working there. I got to experience some of what Jeju had to offer: Island Stone, Monkey Beach, and LoveLand (check 'em out on Facebook or Google). Went from Jeju back to Seoul for about two weeks, stayed with a Korean friend that went to school in the US, watched a world cup match in Gangnam square (Gangnam as in Gangnam Style), took an express bus to Gimje to stay with another Korean friend for a few days, rode a KTX train back to Seoul, went to a part of the DMZ and flew back to the US the same day. I would definitely do it again.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share a bit about my traveling experience and some advice for traveling to Korea. I can teach how to cook a few Korean and Indian inspired dishes. I view myself as open minded and I would almost definitely enjoy a philsophical discussion with someone holding a view different from my own.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I minored in business in addidion my major in chemistry. I feel that I generally offer a great service as a sounding board for ideas or problem solving, but I'm also a decent listener. I can teach a pretty wide range of basic cooking skills. I can fix quite a few computer problems or manually set up a wireless network. I can teach quite a bit about Korean drinking culture (pretty much mastered it during my one month stay).

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, South Korea, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States