CURRENT MISSION

Forging the chains of international comaraderie

ABOUT ME

I'm another lost soul searching for his place in this world. I'm a product of my experiences, so the more people I meet and the more places I can surf through, the better I become as a person.

I'm a very relaxed and low-stress person. I just roll with the punches that life gives and make the most out of my situation, since life is much too short to spend it annoyed or angry at things you can't control.

I want to contribute as much as I can to the world and to the collective knowledge of mankind. I'm a very liberal person, and I come from a very diverse family situation and upbringing. I want to spread tolerance throughout the world; there's simply not enough of it out there.

And most of all, I want to meet you!

PHILOSOPHY

I live my life to experience the myriad diversity in this world. I come from both a diverse family and city, so I thrive whenever I'm out of my comfort zone. I want to spread acceptance and love for each other, even if I have to do it one friend at a time.

As trite as it may sound, I believe we can find peace and harmony in this world, but not without hard work and dedication to overcome our personal and institutionalized prejudices against things we don't understand. Life is too short to be spent building barriers and tearing others down.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I plan to host as many travelers from as many places as possible and share what California has to offer. I want to surf through the entire world, learn as much as I can, and share what I've learned with everyone. CS is such a great community, and I'm so glad that we're in this age of technology to make something like this available. I truly believe a community like this and the ideals it stands for should spread to as many people as possible.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I think the best CouchSurfing experience I've had (not on this site, though) was in Norway during my 2007 post-graduation trip through Europe. I was at a small music festival in Kvinesdal on the south coast, and my traveling partner and I made friends with the camps next to ours. After the festival was over and people were packing up to leave, a couple we had made friends with invited us to drive back up to Oslo with them and stay at their flat. We already had train tickets back to Oslo, but we forsook our train tickets for friendship.

It was probably the best decision I've made when traveling. Seeing the countryside and the fjords of Norway by car was so much more magical than by train. We met two of the coolest women during my travels, and they really left us with a great impression of Norway and Norwegians.

Interests

I love music of all types. I love learning about people, cultures, cuisines, and really just experiencing all that I possibly can during my short time in this life.

I'm an aspiring photographer; I love the ability to see both the detail and the wholeness of one's surroundings through the lens of a camera. Bringing back pictures of my journeys to share and reflect upon is very therapeutic for me.

And as is the case with almost every dreamer, I love to think about the world around me and where I fit into it. Not many things in life are as wholly satisfying as an in-depth philosophical discussion about whatever is on your mind. I love to listen to others' ideas even more than I love to share my own.

People are what make life so inspiring and interesting, and the more I can meet and befriend, the happier I become!

• festivals
• technology
• traveling
• music
• fishing

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm not much of a movie watcher, mainly because I'm overly-critical of them. Some that I do enjoy and can watch multiple times are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Fountain, Pulp Fiction, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Shawn of the Dead.

I listen to tons of music. Heavy metal is what I listen to the most, but I also enjoy indie music, some rap and pop as well. Naming bands is too much, so perhaps that can be a discussion had over some coffee.

As far as books go, I'm all over the place. Some highlights are the Song of Ice and Fire series, Lord of the Flies, Gulliver's Travels, and I've got a neverending list of books to read in the future...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent a week in a cottage in the Finnish Lapland in the summer of 2008. Fishing in full sunlight at 1am and seeing wild reindeer grazing through the meadows was a truly magical experience, especially for a Finnophile like myself. :D

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a lot of random information about fauna throughout the world. Sometimes little facts will pop out of me before I can stop myself. I get a bit excited about nature :)

I want to learn how to really "rough it". I want to live a minimalistic life where I can get up and move wherever I want when the mood strikes me. Teach me how to live a life of wanderlust and not be tied down to artificial limits. To quote the mighty Queen: I want to break free!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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