CURRENT MISSION

Seek out the extraordinary places and people that don't get the recognition they deserve, and bring their story home

ABOUT ME

I think the whole point of being on this planet is to learn as much as you can, and be kind to as many people as possible. Find your gift and give it all you've got to do as much good as you can. Make a positive mark on every place you visit.

PHILOSOPHY

I pretty much summed it up above, but here it is again. Everyone's got something they're brilliant at. Find out what it is and use it to make the world better. Every day, make others happy, put yourself out on a limb and see what life throws at you!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At this point, just surfing around and hosting when I'm at home.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Two people took me in while I was traveling in Serbia, and showed me the most wonderful hospitality. Grandparents cooked for me and shared food from their farm, and I got to have long conversations with other Serbians my age. It was wonderful.

When I came home I hosted a couple French guys (not thru CS but same idea) and we had a blast over fourth of July weekend. We took out our old Studebaker and drove around, went to a rodeo and fireworks display then realized we were all huge Elvis fans and sang them all the way back home. Best 4th ever.

Interests

jazz, books, coffee, old cars, religion, food, travel, physics, history, great conversation, the stories of others.

• writing
• books
• dining
• coffee
• traveling
• cars
• jazz
• surfing
• history
• physics
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Love jazz, classic rock, good country, and getting more into classical. Favorite movies are Vertigo, It's a Wonderful Life, Fellini's 8 1/2, the Royal Tenenbaums. Can't get enough of books-- Heart of Darkness, On the Road, any travel writing, any religious or philosophical stuff, "A short history of nearly everything" is what I'm currently working on. Love Bill Bryson!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

So far, I think my experiences in Albania have been the most revelatory. Everyone has a story there. I took many pictures and put them and some stories together and gave presentations at my university with a theme of freedom and opportunity and people came up to me afterward and told me they were inspired to travel and also realized how good they had it. I couldn't ask for more than that...so now I've made it my life's work to relay similar experiences back home via writing and presenting.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to take pictures with my SLR camera and send them back to people who may not have a photo of themselves, their families or community.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States