CURRENT MISSION

To find my way in Istanbul

ABOUT ME

I hate this part. I love the same things most CSers love: travel, meeting new people etc etc blah blah blah, yada yada yada...

PHILOSOPHY

"I've got the chance to be myself just like everybody else" - Shihad

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Originally joined before going to the USA as i thought it would be a great way to be a solo traveller (and save a lot of money). I also find i enjoy the hosting side very much too as i love my country and i love showing outsiders how great it is and never get tired of learning about the places people are from.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Hosted 5 or 6 times in Whangarei, surfed with about 11 or 12 people across the USA, hosted three people in Palmerston North and surfed with 3 people in Central Europe. Notable moments in my couchsurfing life: Thanksgiving with mormons in New Mexico, an endless supply of snickers bars in Austin, playing spanish bingo in a gay bar in Albuquerque, being peed on by my host's dog (no hard feelings, Guy!), deflating air mattresses, uncomfortable floors, being bitten by my host's dog (no hard fellings, Dan!), borrowing my hosts car and running the battery flat after leaving the lights on, my american surfers cooking me a roast dinner and home made brownies, historical walking tours at 3am on new years eve, bouncy dogs, xmas in Tennesse, illegal pizza restaurants, being frozen (literally) while sledding in Austria, freezing to death (not literally) in DC, getting past awkward first meetings, awkward goodbyes (Hug? Handshake? what do i do?) and meeting enldless amounts of amazing people!

Interests

Music. The environment. Being silly with friends. Going on adventures. Travelling ANYWHERE. Hiking. Taking too many photos. Procrastinating.

• dogs
• concerts
• environment
• cooking
• running
• walking
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• solo travel
• tours
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Any music - anything but death metal, country and classical (there are always exceptions of course). Particularly love Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Dave Matthews Band, Crowded House, Fat Freddys Drop, Shapeshifter, Black Seeds, Shihad, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Tom Waits' Georgian folk music, Latin and African

Prefer to read non-fiction, usually travel based, music based, and biographies, and i also have a thing for spies and escape stories.

Love alot of movies (just like everybody else) A few of my favourites are:
Pulp Fiction, Forest Gump, The Green Mile, Dumb N Dumber, Theres Something About Mary, Borat, Team America, Motorcycle Diaries, The Departed, Goodfellas

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Neil Young Live in concert, Auckland January 2009
Sunset at the Grand Canyon
Angels Landing, Zion National Park
Beach hopping in a Northland Summer
Being showered with xmas gifts by a family i don't know
The kindness of strangers in a foreign country
Georgian Supras

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share my love of New Zealand. Now i can also share my growing knowledge of the Georgian language and the country of Georgia - im pretty sure thats not something youl get from many other surfers or hosts.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Georgia, New Zealand, Turkey

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