My name is Jay and I'm from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I finished a degree in Biomedical Science and am studying Master of Neuroscience at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. I just finished a research internship in Stockholm and in search for my next one. I did three internships in Australia, Japan and Sweden. Like almost everyone here, I have a passion for travel. I also enjoy volunteering, outdoor activities (hiking, biking, etc), singing, sports (especially winter sports), music, sciences, photography, cooking and collecting rocks. I love learning new things, making new friends and experiencing new adventures. My style of traveling is easy going and go-with-the-flow. I'm more into new experiences than parties, but I'm always down for a good time. Instead of making grand plans for the entire trip, I make plans for the next day based on the things I want to see. As a nerd/geek, museums are my kind of learning experiences while traveling. I make friends wherever I travel, and proud to say that I have friends from every continent

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have heard a lot of amazing things from friends who have couchsurfed. I have always wanted to join the community and see what all the buzzes are about. Moreover, it's an absolutely unique way of experiencing a new place, living with a local and sharing with a new friend. I'm always on the hunt for the hidden gems of a new place, like the hole in the wall with the favourite local food, or a gallery or event unbeknown to outsiders. I've tried airbnb but it's a shame that I can never truly be friends with the people I stayed with, and the advice I get are usually very typical as any google search. Moreover, most hosts are in for the money rather than sharing the passion for traveling. Therefore, I would like to couchsurf and make friends with people of the places I visit, learn and see the city from their perspectives.

Interests

I've always loved all kinds of science, from observing the stars above to digging for rocks down belew and anything in between. Astronomy was my first love in science, and I was so into it that I took an astrophysics class in university and volunteered to collect the milky-way hydrogen gas expansion data on radio telescopes. I have since combined my passion for photography and astronomy and been dabbling in astrophotography, chasing astronomical events and the aurora in the Rocky Mountains. Evidently, I also like outdoor activities like hiking, exploring and going for an adventure. Otherwise, sports such as soccer, basketball, swimming, snowboarding and skating keep me active.

When I'm in a calm mood, I like to collect all kinds of rocks and am proud to say I have 100 pounds of dinosaur bones in my closet ;) On the side, I also collect coins, currency, stamps and any interesting antiques, like pocket watches. If I feel lazy, I would watch some movies, documentaries (I quite enjoy learning even when I'm lazy), TV series, anime or listen to a variety of music (depending on the mood) and very often sing or whistle along XD

As a foodie, cooking is something I enjoy as well! I love all kinds of food and am willing to try almost anything, at least once. Culinary experiences are one of the things that keep me exploring new parts of the world, from street foods to Michelin Star restaurants, I would love to try them all! It's without further explanation that I also love traveling, driven by food, cultures, histories, languages, curiosity and photography.

• photography
• environment
• italian food
• cooking
• chinese food
• movies
• traveling
• currency collecting
• stamps
• music
• live music
• classical music
• jazz
• rock music
• hip-hop music
• blues
• opera
• r&b music
• hiking
• surfing
• snowboarding
• sports
• swimming
• astronomy
• geology
• neuroscience
• science
• food
• adventure
• stargazing
• theatre
• documentary
• health
• street food
• foodie
• healthy food
• comedy
• drama
• french
• horror movies
• germany
• french food
• paleontology
• minerals
• rap music
• fossils
• astrophotography
• coin collecting
• gemstones
• thriller movies

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Music: Jazz, blues, R&B, Hip-Hop, Rap, Rock, Opera, Classics (Way too many singers, bands, composers to mention here)
Favorite Books: Sherlock Holmes, Robinson Crusoe, To Kill a Mockingbird, Science Books XD
Favorite Movies: Sherlock Holmes, Titanic, Saw series, Ocean trilogy, the Ring series, the Matrix trilogy, Shutter Island, Inception, Dark Knight trilogy, interstellar, Memento, Insomnia, Pirates of Caribbean series, the Repo Men, the Wolf of Wall Street, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star War series, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, Se7en, Hostel series, all Jackie Chan movies, Bridesmaids, the Bourne series, the Silence of the Lamb, the Prestige, the Illusionists, Oldboy, Grudge series, the Six Sense, V for Vendetta, Twelve Monkeys, Children of Men, Taken trilogy, Jurassic Park trilogy, Jaws, ET the Extra-Terrestial, Indiana Jones series, Back to the Future trilogy, Men in Black trilogy, the Schindler's List, the Lord of War, Guardians of the Galaxy, and too many to list

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I helped organize fundraisers for 5 years that raised over $220,000 towards cancer research

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm certified to teach Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation in Canada and US. I also love teaching any primary and secondary school science and math. I can never say no of teaching or learning languages or any new skills, be it cooking, photography, computer programming, painting, or anything. Learning to play a musical instrument has always been on my bucket list as well. I have learned and failed accordion and flute before XD. Photography is also something I could teach and of course something I would like to learn from others as well. Moreover, I'd like to improve my singing if anyone could help :D

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would love to share my stories, passions, curiosity, knowledge, skills, smiles and my gratitude with hosts. I would love to chat with hosts about philosophical ideas, new technologies, frontier science, "boring" politics, and almost anything. Furthermore, I can try my best to entertain the hosts with singing or photography :D

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, Croatia, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Morocco, Norway, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden