CURRENT MISSION

Enjoy life and see and learn as much as possible

ABOUT ME

I'm a foreign language teacher in Queens, NYC. I love to travel and learn about new places.

PHILOSOPHY

There is so much to see and do and so little time to do it and enjoy life because it's amazing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I´ve surfed and I´ve hosted. Both are wonderful experiences.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Couchsurfing is a great way to meet local people and learn about some place else in the world, either by surfing or hosting. I have hosted cool people who shared their stories music and art with me. I´ve stayed with wonderful people and families who gave me a glimps of their lives and welcomed me with open arms.

I've hosted people from many countries. I enjoy hosting people, so I do plan to spend time with them when I am able to and make sure they have a good time. I love to cook a meal with them and show them around.
I've been hosted more than I can list, all by wonderful people who shared their lives, families and cultures with me. For that I am grateful.
I've even hosted and been hosted by the same people. That's cool to do, especially when life paths cross over and over again.

The negative side of couchsurfing is that I have found that some people think this is a free bed and breakfast. It's not. For me it's about connecting with interesting people and sharing stories and experiences. Being a no show is not polite. Because I enjoy hosting people, I often plan to spend time with them so I will rearrange my schedule to accommodate. Not showing up is just rude. I’ve had my share of CSers who don’t show up. I will give a bad reference if someone doesn’t show up. My time is precious and I have much to share, but it does not mean I want my time wasted.
Now I guess is a good time to put the secret password: Kajagoogoo. If you read my profile and want to stay with me, please use this word and it will increase the chance of you being hosted.

Interests

I have a wide range of interests. These range from traveling and sharing travel stories and tips for traveling. When I travel, I'm curious about the culture, the language, religion and the food. I like learning history of a place, and seeing some historic sights. I like to learn and discuss about the politics of a place.
I collect coins and paper money from places, and I have quite the collection.
I'm a fan of cities. I enjoy observing people. I love looking at architecture. But I also like the contrast of nature, hiking and nature walks, the beach.
Coffee is my favorite beverage. But I have a fondness for local beer, and like to drink it when I travel, or discover local beers where I live.
I'm a teacher so I'm always fascinated by schools and education systems. I teach languages so I'm intersted in languages and linguistics as well.
I used to study tai-chi, taekwondo and yoga. I like the meditation aspect of these and the forms. Unfortunately I find myself not practicing as often as I used to.
I like music, mostly electronic music and classical. I love world music, especially music that is a fusion of traditional and electronic. I can't get into sad slow music. Not my thing.

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
I like Greek music, middle-eastern music, techno-dance-electronica, pop, and classical.
Books:
Lonely Planet Guides. I can read them like a novel. "1984" by Orwell. I like utopian/dystopian books and stories.
Movies:
Almodovar, Thrillers, Foreign films.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sometimes I doubt my eyes or ears. I have to ask God if I am really doing or seeing what it is that I am doing or seeing. I have seen some amazing things and met wonderful people. I have been very lucky.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a language teacher so I can help with that. I can give travel tips and advice. There is a lot to share and learn in this world.

What I Can Share with Hosts

When someone hosts me, they are sharing their life with me, their culture, who they are and what they are. For me it's an honor to stay with someone when I travel. I can offer my hosts lots of stories. I'd like to have a meal with them also. If we cook a meal at home I can buy what we need or most importantly, I can bring beer or wine! Lol. But in all honestly, I like to make sure there is a connection before I even show up and I'll ask if they need me to bring anything.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French part), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S., Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Greece, Saudi Arabia, United States

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