My name is Ben Wallace and I love to write. I help people live a better life by writing about critical thinking, communication, mental health, and health and fitness. I love stories in the form of movies, books, and video games. I enjoy reading about minimalism and buddhism and I keep several reading lists of books for everything I write about.

I can be goofy and exuberant when I’m comfortable and shy and timid when first meeting people. I’m an easy-going person and I enjoy laughing and passing the time with friends.

I have ADHD, which is something I’m trying to be more upfront about even though I don’t want to. A lot of people don’t understand it and judge me for having its symptoms.

I study 7 languages. I’m still new to many, but I’m advanced in French. I’m traveling in France for the next 9 months to improve my French and to further my journey to fluency.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on couchsurfing to find a place to stay in France while I’m here and to hopefully make friends. So far I’ve mostly been by myself.

Interests

• writing
• walking
• learning languages
• biking
• people watching

Music, Movies, and Books

I love Soul, Rap, EDM, Jazz (30s-50s), Blues, R&B, and rock. I love scores for movies and video game soundtracks. I love Jain, Miike Snow, Foxy Shazam, and recently I’ve been listening to lo-fi soundtracks for working and studying.

I like watching a lot of different movies. I like tragedies, rom coms, mysteries, spy movies, action movies, superhero movies, sci-fi, family dramas, dramedies, and animated movies. I only like horror movies that are good (like “IT”).

My favorite book is ”10% Happier” by Dan Harris. It’s a funny story about a stressed out man who thinks meditation is ridiculous but he discovers that it’s actually helpful by jumping in with both feet and goes through the most rigorous meditation practices - silent retreats.

10% Happier by Dan Harris
Everything That Remains by Joshua Fields Millburn
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak
Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (Mouth full)
On Writing by Stephen King

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I rode in a helicopter to the top of a glacier to go dog sledding with huskies in Alaska.

Teach, Learn, Share

I want to learn to be a better writer and to learn to speak French fluently. I’m not an expert in the things I write about, so much of what I do is research and learning. One day, I’ll teach what I know.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I want to trade books with hosts. I read French books and try to learn all of the unknown vocabulary and then read through the book again to see how my comprehension improves. When I move on, I’d like to exchange the book for one of the host’s.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, France, Ireland

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, United States