CURRENT MISSION

Meet and have a drink with someone from every continent...I'm not above taking shots with a penguin to check off Antarctica

ABOUT ME

I am a 32 year old high school teacher living in Atlanta. I did my undergraduate at Arizona State University. I've moved around a lot in my life, and in Spring 2007 I had the opportunity to study abroad in Ferrara, Italy. The experience really opened my eyes to the great opportunities out there for world traveling (and for those people willing to be world travelers), so I hoped that I could do my part by opening up my humble home to whoever is passing through my neck of the woods.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is all about the people you meet and the experiences you have along the way: try and keep both interesting at all times.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My wife and I have two guest bedrooms that are currently unoccupied!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My best experience came in Gerona, Spain, during Spring Break in 2007. My friend Alex and I had foolishly arrived in town at 11:30PM without a real idea of where we were going, how we would get there, and certainly no reservation to speak of. Criss-crossing the town, desperately searching for a hotel that was not fully occupied, we happened across numerous individuals of varying degrees of kindness and English-speaking ability but none so friendly or proficient as two chaps we happened to meet in a dark alley at around 1:30AM.

Having given up the idea of finding a reputable place to stay, we were going to go ask to pull up a chunk of floor at the cheapest hostel which had turned us down. Crossing said dark alley, two individuals staggered towards us. Alex stumbled a bit and kicked a piece of glass, inciting one of the people approaching to say in a thick Australian accent "Oy mate, you dropped a penny!" Relieved to find someone who spoke English (and appeared to be friendly...albeit from the large amounts of alcohol he had consumed) we chatted with the two men and told them our sad story.

"Well F*** that! You should just come get drunk with us!" said the boisterous Aussie. Knowing a golden opportunity when we saw one, we immediately took the Aussie up on his offer and followed him to one bar then another, drinking the night away and making two great friends in the process.

As the evening wound down, we said that we were going to go find a place to crash for a few hours, perhaps a park bench, when the Australian again yelled: "F*** that! We've got plenty of room, come stay with us!" And thus, as 5:00AM rolled around, my friend Alex and I marveled at how we had gone from low spirits, homeless, and far too sober to enjoy such a thing, to happy, tipsy, and not a penny poorer.

The next morning we were provided with breakfast, a warm shower, and train tickets to our ultimate destination of Barcelona. It all happened in less than 12 hours, but it is something which will stick with me forever.

It was the final good-bye of our new friends that inspired me to host a couch-surfer upon my return to my own apartment. After numerous out-pouring of thanks, our generous host merely said: Pass it on, mate, I hope you'd do the same for me.

Interests

Traveling, meeting new people, good conversation, hiking, basketball, reading, writing, movies, music, football, volleyball, Ultimate, hanging out with friends, a little partying every now and again

• writing
• breakfast
• partying
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• surfing
• basketball
• soccer
• volleyball
• study abroad

Music, Movies, and Books

Top Three Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Top Three Bands: Ben Folds, Cake, New Pornographers

Top Three Authors: Roald Dahl, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I am trying to see a new country every year

Teach, Learn, Share

Rarely, if ever, will you meet a boring person who opens up their house to complete strangers.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good humor, good stories, and good conversation!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, Romania, United Kingdom, United States

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