CURRENT MISSION

Telling the untold, listening to the untold, Story.

ABOUT ME

Son of Cuban exiles, finding my own truth. Writing it, snappin' photos of it, digitizing it. In love with Turkey. Being so political till I'm fighting against politics. Just like Groucho Marx: I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have someone like me as a member. (Exception: La Voz de Los de Abajo, an activist group in solidarity with la gente humilde de America Latina). Lover of languages. Cyclist. Sarcast. Sweet 'n sour. Good enough for now?

PHILOSOPHY

Always try to tweak the paradigm, and get on with it while you're at it. Bend, sure, but don't break. I subscribe to trying to change the world, fight injustices, and care about Nature; "if we don't, who will?" We should consider how others will remember us when we're gone.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
If hosting, it's nice to show-off the city and expose visitors to deeper, less touristy things that tell a truer story of who and what Chicago is. If I'm traveling, it is so much more personal and interesting to couch-surf with a local than staying in a hotel or hostel. And to be honest, it is much more affordable! I'm not wealthy by any means, but I love to travel, so…

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So far I've only surfed once, in Detroit, and loved it. Stayed with a couple a generation older who were so easy-going and helpful. It was mutually lovely!

Interests

Learning to play classical guitar with a master. Noodle shops. Earthen ovens. The salt of the ocean. Electronic music, classical offbeat music, jazz, nuevo canto. Collaboration with world-changers poor only in pocket. Sci-fi of the Dr. Who/2001/Battlestar/Man Who Fell to Earth variety. Learning Turkish language & culture. Working with wood, re-purposing discarded materials, and attempting a micro-garden in raised beds.

• culture
• writing
• photography
• cooking
• coffee
• walking
• clubbing
• politics
• traveling
• music
• electronic music
• jazz
• guitar
• cycling
• surfing
• animation
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Heinrich Boll novels. Shikaro Endo novels. Jacques Derrida's work; essays by Walter Benjamin. Ancient history. Lutoslawsky. Stravinsky. Lou Harrison. Benjamin Britton! Miles Davis, John Coltrane, The Chicago Underground Duo, Sun Ra, Michael Zerang, Los Van Van, Los Munequitos de Matanzas, Silvio Rodriguez, etc. Films: My Twentieth Century; Czeck New Wave; Hiroshima, Mon Amour; Noir films; Solaris, Stalker, Nostalghia, Andre Rublev; The Devil's Miner; Badlands, Days of Heaven; Carandiru; Caravana; Death of a Bureaucrat, Memories of Underdevelopment; and on, and on...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Water spout in the Florida keys. Talking to God after I almost fell off the back of Half Dome. Being nipped by a shark when surfing. Dancing with the Dengbesh singers in Diyarbakir, Turkey, and interviewing a Kurdish man in rough Turkish. Walking up into the Grand Tetons. Riding my bike from New York to Florida. Meeting my grandfather in Havana for the 1st time. Being in Honduras for the elections as an official international observer. How can I only describe one?!

Teach, Learn, Share

Many things Cuban. Some things Turkish. Traditional still photography, including printing. Old school hand drawn animation. Making a wicked "cezve" of Turkish coffee, or Cuban coffee. At some point, I will share classical guitar pieces, hopefully soon (hard work!).

What I Can Share with Hosts

My stories, my respect for their time and effort, my good humor, willingness to be flexible, and perhaps some help around the house (light cleaning or cooking, etc.). I can also teach video and audio editing and film production techniques, and how to use Gimp (a free type of PhotoShop). I can teach Spanish, English, and intermediate Turkish, and beginning/intermediate classical guitar. I can tell you a lot about Cuba.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Puerto Rico, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States