Hi! I'm Simon, a 30 year old teacher and writer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. For the last few years, I've taught at a local non-profit organization for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. It's incredible work, and there's nothing quite like seeing someone gain independence and grow.

I'll be travelling through Europe, India and Nepal from October-April, and am finally settling in Thailand as an ESL teacher after that. I'm planning to write as much as possible along the way; if you have a story or experience that you feel needs to be heard, I want to hear it.

I'm very open minded, considerate, and relaxed. I'm hoping to help out others as much as possible as I travel.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

While working for a non-profit was really rewarding, it didn't exactly fatten my wallet. I don't really have the funds available to afford a hotel or hostel every night, so I'm hoping to find a few places to rest my head along the way. I also really like meeting new and interesting people; and, in my (limited) experience, Couchsurfing hosts are some of the most fascinating and compassionate people around. If you do host me, I'd be happy to cook (believe it or not, New Mexican food is unique and delicious) and clean. I'm also a certified TEFL Instructor, and would be more than willing to help you polish up your English conversational or writing skills.

Interests

• arts
• culture
• writing
• poetry
• theater
• film making
• cooking
• reading
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• swimming
• art history
• teaching
• history
• volunteering
• sci-fi
• ping pong
• nonsense
• getting lost
• nonviolent communication
• dungeons and dragons
• non-profits

Music, Movies, and Books

I'll read just about anything. Some favorites include Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon) , Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy), The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss), The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz), Kafka in the Shore (Haruki Murakami), and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams).

I have a sot spot for unintentionally bad films, like The Room and Birdemic. The weirder the better!