I am a masters student and I am really interested in other countries. I love talking history, politics, international affairs and general cultural topics. I like hearing and learning about the rest of the world, so I would love to meet you and get to know your city. Furthermore, I love to learn new languages! I've been fortunate enough to live on 3 continents, and the more I travel, the bigger my desire to travel more.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've been lucky to have travelled to 4 continents, and the more I travel, the more of the world I want to see. My couchsurfing profile is a bit sparse because I tend to do CS the old fashioned way -- going to places to stay with friends or friends of friends, but I always love staying with locals.

The world is so big and full of beauty, excitement, and interesting people, and it would be a shame if I didn't get out there and enjoy it. I have an open mind, but I think traveling is a great way to become a well rounded, global citizen, and that's why I want to Couchsurf: get a local's perspective.

Interests

Sports, history, culture, and pretty much everything in between! I like to read (mainly military history and fiction), good TV shows, and watch movies. I've played sports my whole life, so I'm always up for throwing around a football, learning how to play cricket, or just talking sports -- though I probably won't know much since I rarely watch sports!

• culture
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• politics
• movies
• tv
• traveling
• watching sports
• sports
• baseball
• basketball
• cricket
• soccer
• swimming
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Shawshank Redemption, Schindler's List, The Dark Knight, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, Death of Stalin, The Battle of Algiers, most Will Ferrell stuff, Daniel Craig bond movies, Body of Lies, and American Beauty are some of my favorite movies.

Fooled By Randomness, the Great Gatsby, The Power Broker, Plutopia, The Nix, and Band of Brothers (and the HBO miniseries!) are some of my favorite books, but it's always hard to choose favorites. Some others are: Old Man and the Sea; Team of Rivals; Americana: A 400 year history of American Capitalism; The Great Leveller; Enemies and Neighbors; Generation Kill, Love in the Time of Cholera, the Myth of Sisyphus, The Sea (John Banville).

I have a pretty eclectic taste in music, but I really like classic rock (Pink Floyd, AC/DC) and more acoustic-ey stuff, like Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clarke. However, I listen to classical, rap, hip hop, and everything in between -- sidenote: if it has piano in it, I will probably love it.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When traveling to Croatia, I got the chance to swim in Tito's submarine pens. The submarines were housed in this reinforced bunker that was dug into a hillside, and you could actually swim into them, which was a pretty surreal experience. Eventually, I even climbed up the side and jumped the 10m down into the water, which was a pretty cool experience.

Getting lost in the mountains while hiking in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, then stumbling onto a birthday party in the jungle at a small swimming pool / pavillion. Then getting offered, in rapid succession, 8 shots of tequila by the uncles and grandpa, singing happy birthday to a nice 6 year old (hopefully not too slurred), and a ride back to town with new friends in the back of a pickup truck.

Getting rather tipsy and joining an outdoor dancing/zumba class in a plaza in Cartegena. Being the only gringo dancing with 200 Colombian moms was a fun experience.

Finding a poolhall in Nicaragua where I could drink beer and chat with the locals when I lived in Granada.

Riding a camel at sunrise in the Moroccan Saharan Desert.

Doing an 18 meter cliff dive in the Somoto Canyon, on the border between Honduras and Nicaragua.

Hitchhiking to a volcanic lake and getting picked up by the Taiwanese ambassador to Nicaragua.

Oktoberfest with Australian. Really anything with Australians.

Finding the hostels booked out and sleeping on a bench in late November in Tuebingen, Germany.

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn whatever you can teach or show me, and it's always a joy to learn something new. Honestly, I think a skill (or how to cook something!) is the best souvenir. What better thing to bring home than something you learned? It could be as simple as how to say "Cheers" in the native language, how to cook a local meal, or even a new skill -- whatever you want to teach me, I'd probably love to do it! I'm looking for new experiences.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I guess it's kind of funny -- I don't really know what skills I have. I played sports mainly, and that took up most of my time. However, I guess that's sorta skill; so if you ever want to learn how to play basketball, football, or baseball, let me know! I also like languages, so I can do my best to teach English or even Spanish or German (absolute grammatical accuracy not guaranteed! ;)).

However, I'm a relatively big guy, so if there are any projects that require manual labor, I'm happy to do those, especially if I'm rewarded with food! Working together on an improvement project is a pretty cool thing, and a great physical way to express gratitude.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Croatia, Germany, Nicaragua, United Kingdom, United States