I'm fairly easy-going, open to new experiences. I am 29 years old, graduated from university a year ago. I enlisted in the US Army when I was 17, so I am accustomed to being in a foreign country. It's not exactly the same, though, going to war vs. traveling abroad, but I feel that I have experienced culture shock before, and that will somewhat prepare me for this journey. After the military, I immediately started college and finished my degree in Literature. I was lucky enough to substitute-teach high school for the past several months, and I am thinking about attending graduate school next fall to obtain my teaching degree..

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am visiting Spain in January. Excluding my military service, it will be my first time outside the United States.I am traveling alone, so I feel that couch surfing will be a good way to meet people and learn more about the native culture. I'm trying to travel in a "non-tourist" time of year and I just want to immerse myself (although it's only for two weeks) in a foreign country and test the limits of my language skills.

Interests

I love pop culture. Film, television, music, books, video games. I try to stay apprised of all the goings on in these industries. Further, I like the outdoors, new natural vistas that I can drink in. I try to stay in shape. Running and lifting weights when I can. Different cultures are of immense interest to me. I love learning about how other countries and ways of life contrast with what I grew up with. I think I was drawn to my degree in English because it required a certain knowledge and familiarity with a wide array of different disciplines: History, philosophy, language, art. In my opinion, all of these contribute to the humanities, of which I consider myself a life-long student. Trivia! I absolutely love trivia. Particularly Pub Trivia.

• arts
• culture
• humanities
• books
• literature
• running
• drinking
• pub crawls
• politics
• trivia
• video games
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• outdoor activities
• surfing
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Bands: Favorite Solo Artists:
Queen Billy Joel
Led Zeppelin Elvis Presley
Rolling Stones Carole King
Beatles Steve Winwood
Creedence Clearwater Revival George Harrison
(Honorable Mention: Bob Dylan)

Movies! ( My minor at college was in Journalism/Film Studies. I love movies!)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (All of the original trilogy, to be honest)
Apocalypse Now
The Godfather, Part II
Children of Men
Raiders of the Lost Ark
No Country For Old Men
The Big Lebowski
Taxi Driver
Blade Runner
Shaun of the Dead
El Laberinto del Fauno

Favorite Books:
Lonesome Dove
Cormac McCarthy (anything by him, I've read nearly all of it)
Flowers for Algernon
The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
Ishmael

Non-Fiction Authors: Harold Bloom, Chuck Klosterman, David Foster Wallace, Sebastian Junger

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Whatever one's politics may be, going to war has a profound effect on an individual. The war in Iraq was in its infancy, much as I was, and there was no doubt that I would go overseas and that my experience would be harrowing. In retrospect it was naive and slightly stupid, but I don't think that diminishes the bravery I possessed, even as a teenager. I don't know how I feel about the experience as a whole, nor that I ever will, but I wouldn't change it because it has made me who I am today.

Countries I’ve Visited

Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar

Countries I’ve Lived In

Iraq, United States