Hi, my name is Tom, and I've had a couchsurfing account since 2009. Apparently "travel more" is one of those things that kept getting pushed off. In the past 6 months, I've started getting a LOT more proactive in my life, and I'm expecting to do an international trip later this year and another one next year.

I was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1984 to Syrian parents, and we moved to Saudi Arabia for my dad's job when I was 8, in 1992. When I turned 18, I went to college in Houston TX, then since graduating have lived in Seattle WA, Santa Barbara CA, New York City (ah how I miss NYC), Denver CO (also a fantastic city to live in), the SF Bay Area, Baton Rouge LA for a few months (with the parents, yay), and now in Las Vegas.

I like volleyball, Tango dance, and I'm a huge meditator these days -- taking this class called MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) was super awesome. I'm a healthy eater but always like to try new things too. (Recently went to Yardbird, a Southern-inspired restaurant in the Palazzo, that was amazing.)

I work as a software engineer, which means that I make computers do things. Right now, I work on a team for a casino/gaming company, to ensure that their websites appropriately convey the experience that visitors to Las Vegas will get when they come out here.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To make friends from all over the world. To expand my horizons by traveling and meeting people from cultures not in my usual bubble.

I've always found that visiting a new city, even just 100 miles away, breaks me out of that "automatic pilot" so I can more easily see what's around me more clearly.

Interests

volleyball, Tango dance, meditation, cooking, reading about pretty much everything (right now reading a book by a Navy Seal, another one by a Buddhist monk, and listening to Jim Gaffigan's "Food: A Love Story" -- a hilarious book by an American comedian)

• books
• dancing
• tango
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• meditation
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• equestrian
• hiking
• volleyball
• engineering
• software

Music, Movies, and Books

music: I like a lot of mellow stuff without lyrics, aka "Chill-out music" or you might say "elevator music" haha. Blackmill ("melodic dubstep"), Lemongrass, Capian ("post-rock"). I've listened to some classical music lately which I find cool as well. I like EDM a bit, I guess since I live in Las Vegas I have to, right? :-) Lately I also listen to Amazon Prime's "90's Playlist" a lot, I guess its time for some nostalgia to childhood songs.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I'm pretty pleased to have quit caffeine for almost 3 months now. While I understand that *you* probably love your coffee, I used to drink way too much coffee, and just decided I had to get rid of the caffeine in my life.

Things are a lot clearer for me right now.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to write a simple computer program (or more complex if you care to!).

I can teach you how to play some volleyball.

Or how to reap the benefits of meditation.

I love to learn...pretty much everything. Especially outdoorsy stuff that gets you connected with nature, like hiking, mountain biking, etc. What I'd be most excited about would be horseback riding. But as I said...anything.

What I Can Share with Hosts

If I'm staying at your place, obviously I would love to cook and do some cleaning, or take you out to dinner. I read a lot, so if I'm done with something I'd also totally leave you a random book to read that you'd never have otherwise heard of. Sounds fun to me ;)

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Egypt, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic

Countries I’ve Lived In

Saudi Arabia, United States