Hi! I'm Zach, and I'm hoping to spend July and August getting to know people and places around Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. If you're able to host me or just want to meet up and get a drink, I'd love to meet you.

CURRENT MISSION

To understand more about who I am, more about who I want to be, more about you, more about where you live and what it's like to live there. Travel for me is about learning and growing, and I love to meet people where we can each help each other grow.

ABOUT ME

I love learning (just about anything), exercise, and new experiences whether they be pleasant or unpleasant at the time. I think being happy is worth more than being rich, and I believe that being happy means being courageous at times. I want to end my life knowing I made some big mistakes, because that'll mean I've taken risks. I live pretty minimally, value good conversation, and respect self-discipline and self-understanding. I don't tend to be impressed by much but can find something to appreciate in almost any situation.

PHILOSOPHY

In general I try to avoid extremes and recognize the value in all sides of an argument. I think the Desiderata is one of the most beautiful expressions of a healthy outlook on life. Also, I'm a huge fan of quotes:

Far better it is to dare mighty things than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

In a year of travel I had the opportunity to couchsurf with 25 hosts while meeting hundreds (no joke) of surfers along the way in twelve countries. It was utterly fantastic. Back in New York, I hosted a few times but was living in a small studio with my girlfriend, which made it difficult to do. She's now done some couchsurfing herself and we moved into a bigger apartment, so I'm hoping once we're both back in New York we can start hosting again.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In 2011 I backpacked for a year, and during that time I had the chance to share so many people's homes, to meet or travel with scores of surfers, to attend a medley of events, and all the while I absolutely loved the diversity of the experiences-- so many amazingly interesting people! So many opportunities to learn and grow! I really enjoyed the opportunity to experience how other people live and to share in their lives, if only for a little while.

Interests

Learning (anything and everything), trying new things, running, petting cats, reading (classics, history, academic things), rock climbing, self-discipline and understanding myself, green spaces, exercise generally, long walks, getting to know new people, helping others work through issues, cooking, and especially eating.

• cats
• dogs
• humanities
• dining
• cooking
• exercise
• running
• walking
• boating
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• knitting
• violin
• hiking
• camping
• sailing
• sports
• rock climbing
• swimming
• business
• computer science
• history
• mathematics
• physics
• science
• solo travel
• programming
• data science

Music, Movies, and Books

Books-- The Stranger, Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close, A River Runs Through It, A Clockwork Orange, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, 1984, East Of Eden, The Lord of the Rings.

Movies/TV-- I don't watch many movies but I usually find myself enjoying them when I do. My girlfriend and I have been trying to work through all the Marvel movies (we're up to Avengers: Age of Ultron but haven't seen it yet). I don't watch much TV but liked Game of Thrones.

Music-- Some of everything, but I'm more drawn toward quieter, more mellow things like Iron & Wine or upbeat indie things like The Decemberists.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

* Sailing down the Mexican coast from Mazatlán to Puerto Vallarta, then participating in a 60-boat regatta
* Hiking to Everest Base Camp in sports sandals and without a jacket (also: reading War and Peace on the way)
* Seeing the Pyramids, then a month later walking through the streets of Jerusalem

But more than anything: challenging myself to a year of independent solo travel. Challenging myself to experience uncommon things, to test my boundaries, to learn, and to grow. Challenging myself to embrace the gentle indifference of the world and to see my place within it.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
* Computer-related things. How does the internet work? What happens when you type "google.com" into a web browser? Things like that.
* Data analytics and business strategy
* What living in New York City is like
* English and English grammar

Learn:
* How to cook your favorite food(s)
* Whatever you're passionate about
* Violin (but you'll have to bring one yourself)

Share:
* Good conversation :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'd love to take you out for dinner and/or buy you a beer and catch up.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Belize, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Israel, Italy, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Palestine, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, Germany, United States

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