I am currently back home in the United States after living abroad in Seoul, South Korea for 3.5 years. I used to teach ESL and hosted surfers back at that point. Unfortunately at this time I am living with my brother and therefore am unable to host at this time. I am currently an ABA Specialist and Autism Associate (which means I work with kids with autism at a clinic and out in the community). I am trying to get back into traveling after over a year back home.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have friends who have done couchsurfing before and there experiences were quite pleasant. I have met a few of my friends couchsurfing guests and it was an extremely pleasant experience for me. This got me interested in being a couch surfing host, especially because it is fun to meet people from different cultures and walks of life.

I decided to officially become a couch surfing host after hosting a student from alma mater (my former university). He was taking part in a month long language program at a university outside of Seoul, but he wanted to visit Seoul for a week before taking part in the program. I thought it was wonderful having him stay with me and I really enjoyed sharing the city I love with him. We have been quite close since then and even though he has returned to the United States, I still keep in touch with him regularly.

Interests

I am not as uptight as that previous section may have portrayed me. I am pride myself on being a fun guy and I promise that I will do everything I can to make your experience in Seoul a generous one. We will have an absolute blast, doing whatever it is you want to do.

I really enjoy trying new foods and drinking. I love beer, whiskey and wine (unfortunately the Korean whiskey selection is often quite miserable). Also while Korean beer brands like Cass and Hite are far from satisfying to me (they are terrible), Seoul actually has a large number of excellent craft breweries that I enjoy going to regularly. I also love cooking and baking. According to my students, I bake amazing cookies!

I also love hiking and other outdoor recreational activities. Hiking is a major part of the Korean life here and I live nearby one of the larger mountains in Seoul and the northern Korean region. I would be happy to go hiking with you.

If you do not share interests with me than that is okay, I can still host you. Yet please share with me about you because why else would I host you.

• festivals
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• baking
• drinking
• clubbing
• socializing
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• surfing
• volunteering
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a huge music lover and therefore it is hard for me to say exactly which are my favorite. I would say that I am not a fan of K-pop, but I do enjoy Korean hip hop. Maybe it's best to just share what artists are on my phone playlist now.

So here we go: Augustana, Amos Lee, Beck, CCR, Chance the Rapper, Earl Sweatshirt, Gary Clark Jr., Goo Goo Dolls, John Legend, Imagine Dragons, Kid Cudi, Of Monsters and Men, Passion Pit, Phoenix, The Avett Brothers, Violent Femmes, Vampire Weekend, Wiz Khalifa, Young the Giant, etc.

I enjoy movies, but honestly I am more into TV comedies like Modern Family or Two and a Half Men. I am a lover of books, but I am more into philosophical and spiritual reads. I am not a huge fiction lover, unless they are based in reality.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have done some pretty notable things in my lifetime, but actually my time living in Mexico was quite amazing. I lived in the Yucatan region and specifically in the city of Merida. This city is not to far from major beach areas such as Progresso, Talum, and the well known resort spot Cancun. I really loved the Cenotes there, which are underground water caverns that are absolutely amazing.

Similarly I enjoyed a quite a few very interesting things in South Korea. Specifically reminiscent of my time in Mexico was the famous Korean mud festival that I attended this past summer. It's held annually on the second weekend of July in the city of Boryeong, which is not far south of Seoul. You should definitely check that out. I also managed a near 20 kilometer hike up the famous Dragon Ridge (also called Dinosaur Ridge, depending on the translation). This a very difficult climb, but not overly dangerous; it takes a lot of willpower to complete this if you are not in tip-top shape. I really recommend doing one or both of these if you get the chance

Teach, Learn, Share

So it's really hard to know what I should specifically share with you here. So I have decided that I will be the honest host and share so of the negatives of Seoul specifically as well as Korea as a whole.

For starters, avoid taking the buses at all costs. They are hard to navigate and the drivers are lunatics; you are more likely to hurt your knees on the buses than anywhere else in Seoul. The subway system here is quite nice but it gets insanely busy during rush hours (5-8) and they tend to close earlier than expected (before midnight on most days, even earlier on the weekends).

Be wary of the old people. The adjummas and adjushis (old ladies and old men) are ferocious in public places like the subways and stores. They will gladly take your place in line, and they will even push you or plow through you in order to get to where they desire to be. Also drunk men in Seoul often tend to be very awkward and touchy, which can make anyone uncomfortable very fast. Avoid drunk adjushis at all costs!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I don't want to say that I will be the perfect host or that I know everything about Seoul, but I know well enough to make your time in Seoul memorable (if I am available to do so at the time). If there is something that you are wanting to do, odds are I know well about it and if I do not than I can easily find out for you.

I really enjoy sharing what I love about Seoul with people, and I am so excited to make your time in Seoul awesome!

P.S. I know well about the majority of the clubs and hangouts in Seoul (as I am a huge fan of house and club music). If you are into the club scene than I got you covered too - no doubt!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Japan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, South Korea, United States