CURRENT MISSION

Rest in reason, move with passion.

ABOUT ME

My name is Alan (ah-laan). I'm 25 years old, and an active musician (electric bass guitar) currently playing and recording in the SF Bay Area.

My focus in life right now is to create and record music.

My mother is from Mexico and my father is from Kurdistan (Middle East). I speak fluent Spanish & some Kurdish/Arabic. I grew up in southern California, went to college in northern California, and am now working full-time for an internet radio company in Oakland, CA.

Seeking to travel as much as I can to experience different places around the world, and all of interesting and good-hearted souls that inhabit this earth!

PHILOSOPHY

There is truly so much to experience from being a living being on this planet. I've encountered periods of stagnation, idleness, and boredom in the past - and vowed to never return to those moments. I believe we must live each day vibrantly, awake, and critical of the world around us. Questioning everything so that we can improve, progress, and eventually liberate ourselves from those elements that hold us down.

Por qué estoy en Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first couchsurfing experience was on the Hawaiian islands of Kuai and Hawai'i. I had an unforgettable experience and met some really kind-hearted, generous, down-to-earth people that really showed me a local's perspective on the islands. Since then, I have always been interested in seeking out alternative methods of traveling in order to experience a place in the most intimate way possible (in other words, avoid touristy things that make me feel alienated from the place I originally intended to genuinely experience).

Intereses

My major passions are listening to and playing music. Recently gotten very into music from Latin America - especially salsa and cumbia. I love jazz, soul, funk, and reggae - especially from the early 1970s. I could spend an entire day in a record shop listening to old records from the 60s and 70s.

My other main passion is history and politics. I tend to levitate towards books and movies that incorporates some of kind of sociological/political message.

• books
• cumbia
• drinking
• shopping
• politics
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• guitar
• history

Música, películas y libros

I love music - it is my first and foremost passion in life. As I've mentioned above, I'm an active musician in the San Francisco Bay Area (Oakland), California. I really enjoy nerding out on the history of music, especially it's political/social significance in history. I'm also an avid film watcher and reader. I love foreign films, and any films that really push the envelope whether it's emotionally, politically, psychologically, etc. I enjoy reading political non-fiction, but there are several novels that I enjoy as well - as long as they're grounded in some historical/social/political reality.

Algo increíble que he hecho

This one time....
sleeping on a hammock on a remote island off the coast of Colombia - with no electricity/phone/etc. Living with a fisherman and his family, eating some of the most delicious/fresh home-cooked meals I've ever tasted, playing dominos with my best friend and drinking aguardiente, playing guitar with wild goats during the sunset. Reading Gabriel García Marquez (en español) - this was amazing to me, even if it doesn't sound like it to you :)

Qué puedo ofrecer a los anfitriones

* At the moment, I am unable to host guests. I am currently in a living situation that does not have space to accommodate any additional people.