**PLEASE NOTE: I'm out and about until the middle of August so I can't host until then. Afterwards, all are welcome!**

I was active on CS several years ago but had a bad experience with a pushy host and decided to do my surfing offline, through friends of friends. Highly recommended! But now that I live in Kyiv, I want to make sure there's a safe and chill place for tourists and humanitarian volunteers to stay stress-free, so it's time to get the profile up and running again! Please remember that CS is not a dating site <3

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I train teachers, teach English to secondary students, work with NGOs and ministries to design more resilient education spaces, and use this career to travel around the world. I love reading, hiking, street bars, dance halls, beaches and late nights spent laughing. I'm a big believer in Non-Violent Communication (NVC) and teach teachers how to include those principles in their curriculums, and plan to begin post-graduate studies after my current contract is over to specialize in post-conflict education. I've worked in several prisons and try to help young men learn to talk about their emotions and reintegrate into society through education. I never want to stop learning.

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I participated in AfrikaBurn for the second time this year, and am absolutely in love with the 11 Principles. They line up really nicely with CS. I try to weave these into my life every day and think we can all learn from them. Share which one means the most to you so I know you've read through this ~

1. Radical Inclusion: Everyone is welcome. No prerequisites for participation exist.
2. Gifting: Give without expecting anything in return. Gifts can be physical, emotional, or experiential.
3. Decommodification: No advertising, branding, or commercial transactions. Life should be unmediated by commerce in every reasonable way.
4. Radical Self-Reliance: Take responsibility for your own survival, well-being, and presence in a our rapidly collapsing ecosystem. Take care of yourself so you can do better at taking care of others.
5. Radical Self-Expression: Share your creativity, your style, and your voice. There is no “normal."
6. Communal Effort: Collaboration and cooperation are essential. The best art, relationships, adventures and experiences are built together.
7. Civic Responsibility: Respect and protect the safety, rights, and well-being of all participants. Don't break laws for stupid reasons, even if they're stupid laws.
8. Leaving No Trace: Clean up after yourself completely. Take out what you bring in—leave the space better than you found it.
9. Participation: Don’t be a spectator. Everyone is part of our shared experience—through building, performing, gifting, or connecting.
10. Immediacy: Be present. Engage with the moment, the people around you, and the physical world.
11. Each One Teach One: If you know something, teach it. If you don’t, ask.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've used Couchsurfing for years, and more than once a kind stranger has helped me out in a time of need. I want to pay it back and pay it forward. All kind strangers are welcome. I want to interact with the actual humans who live in the places that I visit, but more than that, I think that we become better people by offering and accepting the radical kindness of others.

Interests

• writing
• singing
• cooking
• reading
• camping

Music, Movies, and Books

Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Grains of Wheat, Ngugi Wa'Thiongo (RIP 2025)
Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle
Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America
Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiked the Congo-Nile Trail

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: Kwasi Wiredu's theory of conceptual decolonization and how it relates to understanding political paradigms. Also, choral singing. And we can always practice English together!
Learn: French. Please. I love cooking but can definitely learn more from everyone.
Share: Shells from Florida. I can also write you a poem!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Wit, unbelievable stories, and at least one amazing conversation on literature. Great spots in and around Kyiv - there's some truly awesome metro stations, street art, mosaics, museums, clubs, restaurants, memorials, churches, bookstores, and so many other hidden gems to see here.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Wales, Western Sahara

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cameroon, Iraq, Kenya, Rwanda, Ukraine, United States