CURRENT MISSION

To seize all opportunities to travel while I'm living in Japan, so that at any moment I can't take this amazing experience for granted.

ABOUT ME

I am from the US (MN) and I'm at the beginning of my own international journey. I put my university studies on hold after last summer so that I could teach English in Okazaki, Japan. I want to make the best of my time in Japan by traveling and meeting people.

More personally, all of my friends say that I am kind, loyal, and laid back. I am usually up for just about anything. I write fiction, travel-fiction, and non-fictional travel writing whenever possible.

PHILOSOPHY

All things will eventually come back to you, so treat others with as much hospitality as you'd like to be treated with.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At the moment I am traveling in Japan during my time off from teaching, so I plan on helping those that let me stay with them in any way that I can, whether its by cleaning the dishes, paying for a meal, teaching a little English, telling stories, or even just having an interesting conversation.

I now have my own apartment in Japan (in Okazaki, 30min. by train from Nagoya) and I am currently extending my futon to any couchsurfing travelers that need it or that just want someone trustworthy to stay with. I feel that by doing this I will be paying forward the hospitality that recieved while I was in Korea last summer.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Now that I'm traveling in more foreign territory I need to be able to experience the countries I am in at a more local level. I started when I went to Korea last August and I would like to continue that trend in Japan.

Interests

Stories and traveling are my two main interests and I like to merge them whenever possible. I love stories in any form, from movies to spoken anecdotes. At the moment I am writing a story that takes place during the Summer of Love in San Francisco during the year 1967. Last September I traveled the route of my main character (from Pheonix to San Francisco). This was of course an excuse to travel, but I also think that it has allowed me to write more vividly even though I had visited most of those places before.

• culture
• writing
• meditation
• politics
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• camping
• bungee jumping
• skydiving
• buddhist
• sports
• astronomy

Music, Movies, and Books

I always like to read anything by Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare. Kind of old tastes I guess (depending how you look at it), but I like stories that last and have a palpable effect on the world around them.

I will also watch any movies by Stanley Kubrick and Ingmar Bergman, but my favorite movies include Dumb and Dumber, the Gladiator, the Shawshank Redemption, the Proposition, One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the list goes on.

As for music, I like just about anything/anyone who doesn't sing about being in a club or loving their tractor. Although I frequently listen to Metallica, Queen, Bob Marley, and I have been known to mix it up with Weird Al at times.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most recent one that tops the list is sitting in a meditation spot on the side of a cliff in Gyeongju, South Korea. At the time it was windy and cloudy with a little bit of rain. I felt as if I could die at any moment if I simply stood up. It was very similar to skydiving and bungee jumping in a way, but without the assurance of help from anyone but myself.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a good deal about: Writing (from essays to stories), the English language, stories (from novels to movies), traveling, Native American culture (specifically Lakota), American culture/politics, American sports, the Australian continent, camping in the wilderness, astronomy, and the list goes on.

I am currently learning about buddhism, San Francisco in the late 1960's, the Japanese language, Japanese culture, Asia in general, and various traveling tips.

While I am traveling I will be able to share my time, friendship, my skills, conversation, and my willingness to help.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Japan, South Korea, United States

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