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Oakland, California, United States
@sam-sontag
Member since 2015
I'm an English teacher and cook who has been traveling around South East Asia for the past six months, studying Thai cooking and meeting new people. I play cajon and conga, rap, and love hip hop and house dance. I have been interested in Japanese culture and food since I was a little kid, and am so excited to visit Japan for the first time!
Interested in Cooking
Interested in Dancing
Fluent in English
Learning Sign Language - American
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
I love meeting new people, and exploring new places with locals. To me, traveling is all about learning about other people's life experiences and ideas, and sharing mine with them. As a tourist, it is easy to only see things designed for tourists, eat food cooked for tourists, and never learn what it is really like to live in that place. But with couchsurfing, I get to learn what it is really like to live in that place, and make friends in the process!
Music, Movies, and Books
Music: Kings of Convenience Talking Heads Bonobo Chance the Rapper Kendrick Lamar Vic Mensa Modest Mouse Books: To the Lighthouse -Virginia Woolf Ender's Game -Orson Scott Card Musicophelia -Oliver Sacks Movies & TV: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Slings & Arrows (a Canadian TV show) Chef's Table
One Amazing Thing I've Done
I cooked for two months as a stage in Bo.lan, one of the top Thai restaurants in the world. It was hard, but really interesting. I learned a lot there about the history of Thai food.
Teach, Learn, Share
I can teach you how to cook Thai food! I would love to try some of your favorite foods, and learn about what it's like to live in your city! I am also learning Japanese, so I would love to practice with you!
What I Can Share With Hosts
I can cook some of my favorite Thai dishes, teach you some dance moves, or some rhythms on my cajon (wooden drum). If you play an instrument, I would love to jam with you. Of course I am happy to help out around the house.
My Interests
Food: I love cooking Thai food. I also have loved Japanese food since I was little. Dance: I was in a hip-hop crew in college. I have also studied house, popping, funk styles, and modern Drumming: I play cajon and congas. I'm also interested in South Indian vocal percussion (solkattu) and West African drumming. Rap: I write and perform rap. I've been in two bands as a rapper, and also perform solo. I also love to freestyle. Teaching: I taught the most amazing group of students last year, in Philadelphia. I taught them about social issues including sexism, racism, homophobia, and economic inequality using writing and music as ways to develop and express their ideas. I miss them! I am also trained to teach English.
