CURRENT MISSION

To live and let live -- and to become a chef.

ABOUT ME

I was born to an Armenian family in Istanbul, Turkey. Yes, at this time it is appropriate to conjure up images of a laid back life half of which is spent at the dinner table with family, friends and amazing food. My journey west started after finishing fifth grade at the Armenian elementary school, Mhitaryan Varjaran. In sixth grade, I began learning German and waltzing at the Austrian middle school in Istanbul (Sankt Georg Österreichische Schule). Then in ninth grade, I found myself at Robert College—the premier American high school in Istanbul, collecting bugs, publishing science journals and doing other geeky things.

I found myself hiking Mount Moosilauke with a half a dozen Americans about five years later. I was at Dartmouth College. An institution where people not only strive for excellence but also are wise enough to shun things they’re not passionate about. After getting my butt kicked in biology classes, I went onto studying Economics and German Studies — a much safer route.

Liberal arts is an amazing education paradigm. It literally convinced me that I could do anything that I wanted with my life. I worked in foreign policy advisory; development economics research; forex trading; management consulting; organic farming; merchandising; sql programming and application development; warehousing; procurement; transportation; teaching languages; analytics; industrial engineering; and last but not least continuous improvement.

This roundabout journey has led me to one conclusion: There is nothing more important to me than food. The way it builds communities, brings families together, reconciles differences among peoples, and stimulates all of us is so vital. The way it evolves, grows, transforms, tastes, feels, smells, sounds and looks is curious and irresistible. The way it makes us feel is so human. The impact it has on our mental and physical health as well as the health of our planet is critical.

PHILOSOPHY

The real trick in life is to want nothing, and to succeed in getting it.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I host. I also travel. I can also make a great family meal.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I'm a novice participant. I've interacted with a lot of couch surfers in the States, in Europe, in the Caucasus, and in Istanbul but I'm pretty new to the concept personally.

Interests

Food, cooking, tasting
Outdoors activities (skiing, biking, hiking, foraging)
Evolution
Check out my blog -- it's flying along pretty well!

• arts
• education
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• flying
• traveling
• blogging
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• skiing
• biology
• economics
• teaching
• engineering
• languages
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Currently:

Music: Gogol Bordello, Juggernaut Jug Band, and Glykeria
Books: Blood, Bones and Marrow

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I saved fourty leatherbacks from being turned into turtle soup in Antigua.
I swam from Europe to Asia (across the Bosphorus in Istanbul).

Teach, Learn, Share

In addition to a slew of technical analytical skills (Excel, SQL, Microsoft Suite), I know Turkish, Armenian and German. I can also teach how to fix up some quick and simple Istanbul recipes.

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Austria, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Nicaragua, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Turkey, United States