CURRENT MISSION

I want to experience authentic local culture wherever my adventures take me. Staying at someone's home is about as noncommercial as it gets!

ABOUT ME

I'm a man of simple pleasures: food, adventure, athletics, cinema and travel. I live a fairly active life and spend a good bit of time coaching high school wrestling, which keeps me energized. I love trying new things, meeting new people in far away places and venturing off the beaten path. While I have an adventurous palate, I will not eat living things. I also enjoy finer things: art, music, theatre, photography and design. I have some skill with drawing and creative writing, but I don't do either very often. I enjoy learning languages more as a hobby than anything really serious.

I was born and raised in the great Deep South state of South Carolina, but I don't have an accent and I enjoy many aspects of cold weather (snow showers, the crisp evening air, ice fishing, etc.).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My wife and I view our home as a gift that we are to use to benefit others. We host international students and other folks who need a place to crash for a while. It's been wonderful so far.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Much of my couch surfing experiences predate the CS Project. Many times when I was in college, I would crash at a friend's parent's home or at a friend of a friend's place on my way to some adventure. I have stayed with friends when traveling abroad rather than pay for accommodation. I find that you learn a lot about a locale by staying with the people who live there. In my mind it is one of the most adventurous ways to travel.

In 2002, I spent my entire summer break sleeping on the floor in a small church in Fairfield, Alabama, so that I could work its summer camp. That was a terrific cultural experience, living in an all-black, poor, deep South community. I loved it!

When my wife and I were in Japan in 2009, we slept on the tatami-mat floor of a friend's apartment in Nara and on the floor of another friend's Tokyo apartment for a week. It was the time of my life. We had the most authentic Japanese experience possible, which is just what we wanted.

We have also hosted a Somali mother and son for a few weeks and a few groups of international students for a few days at a time. I enjoy meeting new people and learning about their lives.

Interests

I'm a bit of a foodie. I love to eat. I also love being active, strength and fitness training, traveling. My dream job would be that of a travel writer--sampling accommodations and cuisine across the globe and writing about my experiences in foreign lands.

I also really enjoy coaching wrestling and working with and motivating high school athletes.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• design
• photography
• dining
• fitness
• movies
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• fishing
• camping
• surfing
• wrestling
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Fight Club, The Lord of the Rings, There Will Be Blood, The Departed, Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, Les Miserables, The Bourne trilogy, Inception, Catch Me If You Can, The Matrix, Pulp Fiction, Gladiator, you can kind of tell I'm a sucker for the sweeping epic

Music: Classic Rock, Alternative Rock, Soul, Blues, Classical

Books: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Bourne trilogy, LOTR, The Hobbit, Season of Life

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have eaten raw horse meat, and it was surprisingly delicious.

Countries I’ve Visited

Japan, Puerto Rico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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