***Fully vaccinated***
I cannot host from December 2021 - May 2022. I will be on a backpacking trip to South America.

I’m an average guy that is new to traveling. I have grown up in Texas my entire life and have decided to pursue a lifelong dream of traveling. I try to not take myself too serious and enjoy the small moments in life. Laughing is my favorite thing to do and I always try to find the positive and the humor in everything around me and find ways to appreciate it for what it is. Currently I live in Laredo, Texas where I work as a drug addiction counselor. I enjoy running, cycling, eating but not cooking (haha), learning about new cultures, coffee, red wine, conversations, dancing from time to time and most recent traveling. I am an active volunteer with various not for profit organizations that offer free mental health counseling to the community(such as bullying, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, depression, traumatic grief and so on), I also actively volunteer with helping victims of domestic violence that are attempting to re establish their lives as well as people that have been diagnosed with chronic illness.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To be able to experience a new culture with people that are already a part of it. Hotels seem cold and impersonal and do not offer a true representation of what the local culture really is. This project has completely renewed my faith in humanity because it is easy to believe that there are more bad people in the world. CS has thought me that there are more good people out there that just want to share their time, and life stories with each other and learn from each other in a positive way.

Interests

Documentaries, movies, cinema, theater, books, learning pointless trivia, running (recent), yoga, travel, new cultures, music, conversation over coffee, scotch/whisky/bourbon or a great bottle of wine

• culture
• books
• theater
• documentaries
• dancing
• cooking
• wine
• coffee
• walking
• trivia
• movies
• traveling
• music
• backpacking
• history
• law
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I like to listen to all types of music but some of my top interests are jazz, blues, swing, 80's and 90's alternative rock.

Octavio Paz, Paulo Coelho, Juan Rulfo, Irvin Yalom

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveling Europe and Central America was truly a life changing experience which helped me gain new perspectives on life. Climbing the to the top of Volcan Irazu in Costa Rica. Walking around Romania at 2 a.m. in -26 C temperature! My 9 month backpacking trip through 19 countries in Europe, El Camino a Santiago de Compostela, and Mexico has continued to expand my world view and how I contribute to it. My backpacking trip through Cuba, the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. And most recently my ongoing backpacking trip thru South America.

Teach, Learn, Share

Things that I can teach and share with the people around me are things about my unique Mexican American Culture in Laredo. Teach whoever is interested as much Spanish as they would like to learn in my brief interaction with them. I would love to learn about the local culture, history, and learn about their own travel experiences. I am a novice traveler and I learn by conversing with people about their past travel experiences.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, Spain, United States