Hey! I'm Ben, born in Boston and living in Israel. I realized that I'm most happy when I'm around people I love, which leads me to look for new friends while traveling. I love hearing varied perspectives, learning new things, and hopefully being able to return the favour by teaching something myself.

I've been in the military for over 6 years now and it's been quite a wild ride. After doing many different jobs including recruitment, research, managing, teaching, and even (badly) flying a plane, I feel like it's a big reason that today I feel proud of who I am, doing work that I feel is important and having a positive effect on the people near me. I'll be released at the end of the year, looking for my next big adventure, whether it's traveling the world, making money and saving up to raise a family, or studying and seeing what academic research has to offer.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

It's my belief that new people and cultures have the potential to teach me about myself and enforce why I love our little planet.

Interests

I'm a pretty big nerd, and have been lucky enough to turn my hobby into a job I love and that I feel fulfilled doing. I see technology as today's best tool we have to efficiently make dreams our reality and reach our goals.

Back in school I used to dance some swing and tango, but nowadays I only find the time to go out to a dance bar with a few friends. We'll have a few drinks and catch up, talking about our current hardships or goals, and then move on to shake a leg on the dancefloor 🕺

My parents met in Japan and lived there, and I studied Karate for 13 years. I'm interested in the culture, and love wasting time watching anime. I'm hoping to explore this connection on my upcoming trip.

• dancing
• walking
• anime
• video games
• live music
• hiking
• camping
• nature
• bars
• karate
• new experiences

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: High paced electronic and metal, classic rock, classical, jazz, rap. I'll really enjoy anything with a refreshing beat.
Books: Since I joined the military most of my reading is for work but occasionally I'll read some manga
Movies: A few favorites are The Princess Bride, Gladiator, Count of Monte Cristo. Also Wes Anderson and Tarantino are cool, but really I probably watch more anime than movies

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

A soldier who arrived into my team as "problematic" finished in my team to sign up for more years as an officer. Seeing him and his family thanking me at the end of the officer's course, all of us teary-eyed, was something I'm sure I'll never forget.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love meeting new people and hearing about the values that drive them. The two commanding jobs I had showed me how much fulfillment I can experience from simply doing my job. Truly listening to the people I'm in charge of and doing everything in my power to let them do work they're passionate about to the best of their ability is a wonderful thing.

I'd love to chat and explore any hobbies or passions you have, and I hope to be able to share the things I love.

If you come to Israel please let me show you the beautiful sides I love about this tiny problematic country. We have a wonderfully compact and varied landscape, great food, lively markets in the day and an energetic nightlife.

If I'm visiting and you have a favorite spot to hang out, please let me know! Even if we don't get the chance to meet up I'd love to experience what you love doing.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have quite a lot of teaching experience with computers and karate, but my Japanese isn't too good 😅

Please let me treat you to whatever you love doing, whether it's food, amusement parks, movies, museums, arcades, or anything at all!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, United States