CURRENT MISSION: Finished my dissertation (about the early history of Navajo sheepherding!)!!! Heading back to school. Hit me up if you're in Boston/Cambridge and want recs or to play soccer or climb.

ABOUT ME: Grew up on the Navajo Nation in the US Southwest. Did undergrad on east coast and studied archaeology. I worked throughout the US and all over the world as both a "shovelbum" and an in-house archeo for an int'l environmental consultancy before deciding to go back to school. I've since come to realize as I get older/more wrapped up in various obligations that the opportunity to travel isn't as common. As such, I've been trying to leave a little more room for spontaneous trips to cool places (e.g. Mexico City over Thanksgiving a couple of years ago).

PHILOSOPHY: As a Navajo, I was taught that one's life is a neverending search for "hozho" or harmony. Central to this is a basic respect for all things, an awareness of the power of action, thought, and word, and a drive to make the best out of the opportunities that are presented to you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING: I've surfed a lot more than I've hosted, but I believe in the CS mission and - at the very least - am more than happy to offer advice/recs for those traveling through the greater Four Corners region of the Southwest USA. My best experiences when traveling have been those random partnerships (and friendships) struck up while traveling. Case in point, the guy in Mexico City who lent me an EcoBici pass, the folks in Washington State who hosted me when I was working (and helped me find a summer sublet!), the Mormon at Macchu Picchu, the Canadian sisters in Arequipa, the Canadian vet in Pretoria, the stranded Israeli, the list goes on and on... CS allows open-minded people to connect in such a way that even mundane events often gain a little something *extra*.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE - During my "shovelbum" days in the summer of 2012, I used CS to explore different parts of the Pacific Northwest that I was working in. People made me welcome all along my route, and I got to see a ton (especially in Eastern Washington). - Had my first CS experience while traveling from Mali to Paris in the winter of '11/'12. I had excellent experiences with all my hosts - not only did they make me feel perfectly at home, but they often facilitated my random desires in each city (e.g., exploring the remains of Roman Cordoba). - I used CS's 'social' features while in Paris to see a different side of the city by spending an awesome afternoon playing soccer with a bunch of CSers. There was something really cool and chill about meeting a bunch of Colombian expats who'd opened up their weekly game to CS, having a great kickaround, and following it up with a beer and West Africa food in the 10th Arrondissement. And in 2019 I recently have been able to truly host other CSers and it’s been great!

Interests

Playing and Watching Soccer. Doing Archaeology. Eating as much Food as possible wherever I go - absolutely love sampling street food and experiencing different cuisines. I garden. I enjoy taking photos as well, both film and digital. Love being outdoors and hiking/trekking, canoeing, and simply getting away from the bustle of cities. I love biking too - MTB in NM, bike-commuting in Boston. I just picked up rock climbing too and while I’m kinda shit, it’s still fun!

• photography
• cooking
• beer
• gardening
• traveling
• bouldering
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• soccer
• food
• mountain biking
• film photography
• archaeology
• exploring
• climbing
• maps
• cider

Music, Movies, and Books

This is so unfair... I read for a living. My music tastes are eclectic to say the least, but I love the blues. As for movies, well, I'll watch anything from B-movies to award winners (with the exception of horror movies...).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I don't really think I've done anything truly "Amazing" (as I think that's a pretty high bar), but here instead are a "Selection of Random Occurrences, Travels and Events" that I think are (personally) interesting: - Helped a college classmate build a log cabin in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. - Led an archaeological field team for 8 weeks in the forests of eastern Nicaragua looking for sites. - Traveled from Mali in December 2011 with an awesome English guy I met in Bamako and traveled overland to Paris via Mauritania, W. Sahara, Morocco, and Spain. Absolute awesome trip and met some great people. - Visited China as an impressionable 14 year old. - Visited Macchu Picchu only to find my camera was broken. - Fixed broken camera at Macchu Picchu with a ballpoint pen and eyeglass repair kit. - Asked if I'd consider being a model while ambling along the streets of Seville (feel that was a scam...). - Celebrated my 21st birthday by drinking beers out of a vuvuzela in Pretoria, ZA during the 2010 World Cup - Training with the local soccer team in Djenné, Mali and being the only white guy - Living and working in Huanchaco, Peru for 6 weeks on an archeo'l project with a bunch of cool Peruvian archeos.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, cooking (and dishwashing!), a laid-back attitude, and really low maintenance approach to traveling/Couchsurfing. I also tend to bring something New Mexican with me as a gift...

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Cuba, France, Israel, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Western Sahara

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Mali, Nicaragua, Spain, United States