Not Verified
Berkeley, California, United States
@CHRISTOPHER998
Member since 2011
CURRENT MISSION to Couchsurf the world! ABOUT ME Hey friends! I'm Chris, I'm originally from California, but the last few years I've been traveling around a bit, living / working / studying in Southeast Asia and Washington, DC. I'm trying to travel a bit before things get too crazy. I absolutely love travel and learn about the world (Its a great place, isn't it?). I want to end up doing work overseas in the future. In my free time I love to socialize and meet people, and talk about politics. If you're looking for somebody to have a political debate with, you've found the right guy. Even if I don't know anything about your country's politics, I'd love to learn about it. I like to cook and would be happy to cook something for you. It's a goal of mine to always improve my cooking skills. If you feel you can teach me anything about food or cooking, I'd love to hear it. I'm always open to new foods. I've tried balut in Cambodia, Kopi lawak in Vietnam, grasshoppers in Mexico, and frogs' legs in the Philippines. I'm always looking to add more to that list. I absolutely love spicy foods. Indian and Thai food are great. I'm a huge fan of Italian food as well. I'm really into beer. I love darker beers and anything with a strong flavor. Belgian doubles and triples are great, and IPAs never fail to satisfy. Stouts and Porters are also always a treat. I'd love to have a beer with anybody who has the time. I'd also love to show you around Berkeley and San Francisco or Paris or Washington DC, wherever I happen to be. PHILOSOPHY People are good, and life boils down to nothing more than that. Everybody has something to offer to the world. Everybody has a story to tell. I would love to meet as many people as I can. The world's a big place, but its surprising how interconnected people are. Once we take the time to step away from the pseudo-stress of day-to-day life and realize that we're surrounded by incredible friends and family and that those individuals are the ones that we live for, its an amazing feeling. Through online communities like Couch surfing combined with local scenes, bars, pubs, schools, and other organizations, people have transformed society from a chaotic and ugly jungle of egotistical and lonely monsters into a family. Looking at the planet, I can't help but echo the age-old Disneyland song "It's a small world, after all." Quote from an anonymous small child: "When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said "happy". They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life."
Interested in Bars
Fluent in English
Learning Russian
Pioneer Badge
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING Every experience I've had with CS has left me with a new wonderful friend that I have kept in touch with to this day. I've been a host before to a number of people visiting California and met with people to show them around, even if they didn't stay with me. I've also surfed while I was traveling. COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE It's been amazing meeting so many awesome people. I'm really impressed with the CS project. My Hosting Experience: Aaron from San Diego, CA Dab from Los Angeles, CA Huseyin from Ankara, Turkey Pablo from Belgium/Spain Niek from Huizen, Holland Amandine from Bordeaux, France Sam from Wichita Falls, Texas Anthony from Boston, MA Camille, Charlotte, and Anais from Lille, France John from London, UK Martina and Julia from Cologne, Germany Julia from Munich, Germany AJ from Chicago, Illinois Steven from London/Shanghai (my host in London) Bisae from Seoul, Korea Cameron from Adelaide, Australia Lorenzo and Luca from Arco, Italy Marcin from Lublin, Poland Yu Ya from Yangon, Myanmar (my host in Yangon) Alex from New Jersey, USA Anna from Germany (my host in Naryn) My surfing Experience Steven in London, UK Alenka in Zagreb, Croatia Amela in Jajce, Bosnia Romain in Bordeaux, France Filip in Antwerp, Belgium Ana in Ilpendam, The Netherlands Rasa in Riga, Latvia Violeta in Vilnius, Lithuania Paulina in Warsaw, Poland Kasia in Lublin, Poland Ania in Poznan, Poland Petra in Dresden, Germany Honza in Praha, Czech Vlad and Tatiana in Plzen, Czech Patrick in Munchen, Germany Michaela in Ivancice, Czech Dave in Brno, Czech Jolanta in Krakow, Poland Agnes and Dani in Budapest, Hungary Sienna in Richmond, Virginia, USA Valentyn in Kiev, Ukraine Jola in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine Alina in Sevastopol, Ukraine Anna in Donetsk, Ukraine Alice in Kharkov, Ukraine Ratum in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine Sinan in Odessa, Ukraine Gerhard in Chisinau, Moldova Mihai in Iasi, Romania Dimitir in Bucharest, Romania Frank in Sofia, Bulgaria Iva and Alexandra in Kyustendil, Bulgaria Sophoklis in Athens, Greece Stratos in Ioannina, Greece Ivica in Ohrid, Macedonia Kris in Skopje, Macedonia Drew in Prishtina, Kosovo Slobo in Podgorica, Montenegro Vesna in Uzice, Serbia Tijana in Belgrade, Serbia Uros in Novi Sad, Serbia Balazs in Szeged, Hungary Michal and Adriana in Kosice, Slovakia Arek in Rzeszow, Poland Leonid in Lviv, Ukraine Andres in Heredia, Costa Rica Denis in Managua, Nicaragua Halim in Borobudur, Indonesia Jay in Gianyar (Bali), Indonesia AJ in Cheras, Malaysia Sarah in Pai, Thailand Toonie in Chaweng (Ko Samui), Thailand Porsche in Chiang Mai, Thailand Wish in Bangkok, Thailand Haerul in Gambang, Malaysia Muk in Batu Caves, Malaysia Raihan in Rawang, Malaysia Ken in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Dansgard in Medan, Indonesia Andre in Padang, Indonesia Eggi in Bandung, Indonesia Jar in Jakarta, Indonesia James in Manila, Philippines Mark in Angeles, Philippines Lez in Puerto Galera, Philippines Mike in Makati, Philippines Prem in Bangkok, Thailand Yu Ya in Yangon, Myanmar Cinthia in Puebla, México Rodrigo in Cancún, México Edd in Playa del Carmen, México Angel in Atlanta, Georgia, USA Don in Birmingham, Alabama, USA Tim in Columbia, South Carolina, USA Lisa in Burlington, Vermont, USA Yohan in Montreal, Canada Anna in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan Aliya in Shymkent, Kazakhstan Daniel in Almaty, Kazakhstan Nurjan in Talas, Kyrgyzstan Aizhamal in Kara Bolta, Kyrgyzstan Muminakhon in Khujand, Tajikistan Begi in Osh, Kyrgyzstan Olga in Minsk, Belarus Aisuluu in Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan Ben in Astana, Kazakhstan Mackenzie in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Juan in Medellin, Colombia Mateo in Manizales, Colombia Diego in Pereira, Colombia Luis in Bogota, Colombia Carlos in Bogota, Colombia Alejandro in Ibague, Colombia Pipe in Armenia, Colombia Andrea in Cali, Colombia Ricardo in Puerto Tejada, Colombia Filipe in Popayan, Colombia Marc in Pasto, Colombia Robert in Quito, Ecuador Daniel in Quito, Ecuador Santiago in Crucita, Ecuador Jimmy in Guayaquil, Ecuador Ericka in Guayaquil, Ecuador Michel in Cuenca, Ecuador Katie in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA Tavo in San Pedro Sula, Honduras Sagar in Delhi, India Emaad in Mumbai, India Dave in Mumbai, India Ashish in Pune, India Padmakar in Aurangabad, India Kanak in Nashik, India Jatin in Surat, India Chaitanya in Ahmedabad, India Prakash in Martoli, India Karan in Jaipur, India Shashank in Gwalior, India Aditi in Faridabad, India Catherina in Montreal, Canada Muddasshir in Trois-Rivieres, Canada Juste in Riviere-du-Loup, Canada Sarah in Quebec City, Canada Amit in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Couchsurfers I've met for coffee or a drink: Fejir in Istanbul, Turkey Pamela in Zagreb, Croatia Nina (From Croatia) in Vilnius, Lithuania Anita in Budapest, Hungary Aida in Sarajevo, Bosnia Zala from Berlin, Germany Irene from Palo Alto, California Amy from Bangkok, Thailand Alex in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine Dmytrii in Kharkov, Ukraine Chris in Athens, Greece Zaenal in Medan, Indonesia Fitch in Guangzhou, China To sum things up, I've couchsurfed with over 100 hosts in 38 countries. I spent my 23rd birthday couchsurfing, and my host made me a cake; a few months later, I ran into somebody I had met that night on the other side of the country. I've been interviewed on a Polish radio station about my couchsurfing experiences. Couchsurfing has lead me to some cool people and helped me do some awesome things. I'm looking forward to what awaits in the future.
Music, Movies, and Books
I have many different interests when it comes to music. Classic rock like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Pink Floyd are incredible. I also love new electronic music. Dubstep is fun. Skrillex and Nero are great. When it comes to books, I used to be a huge Stephen King fan, but lately I've been a lot more into non-fiction. I figure the real world is exciting and entertaining enough, so why would we need a fictional world to keep us happy? I don't watch TV. I think that life itself is much more exciting than any TV show (plus, the graphics are better and there are no commercials). I watch movies occasionally. Some of my favorites are Crash, Little Miss Sunshine, and No Country for Old Men. Basically, anything that makes it to the Academy Awards is pretty satisfying.
One Amazing Thing I've Done
I think what is more important than what I've seen or done is who I've met. When traveling, I've been to the museums, done the tours, and bought the t-shirts. The part of the trip that has the largest lasting impact on me is not that, but the people I've become friends with. When I missed the last bus to where I was heading in Costa Rica, I spent the rest of the night partying on the beach with a guy that helped me out that night. I've hitch-hiked around 3,000 miles / 4,800 km through 11 countries, and met some really awesome people along the way.
Teach, Learn, Share
During the semester, I'm a student at a university. But that really doesn't matter. The place where the majority of learning takes place is not in the classroom, but in going out and about and engaging in other people. A drunk conversation in a pub leaves a greater impact on me than an article in a prestigious journal. Couch surfing offers a much better educational experience than what any conventional school can offer. If I stay with you, or if you stay with me, I want you to teach me something. How do I count to ten in your native language? How do I cook your favorite dish? What are your opinions on politics? What's your favorite beer? Share a great story with me. Where was your craziest night? I want to hear all about you and your travels. In return, I'll teach you something as well. I'll cook for you and tell you about where I've gone and what I've done.
What I Can Share With Hosts
I can share stories about the world. I can talk to you about Hitchhiking in Eastern Europe or about backpacking Southeast Asia or about partying in Thailand. I can give you advice about traveling to countries I've been to or about living abroad long term. I can tell you about life in the US. I can also cook a meal for you. I love making pasta, like a baked Ziti or fettuccini al Fredo, or an American style brunch, with eggs Benedict and crispy bacon. I also enjoy mixing clasy cocktails and trying new drinks. Two of my Couchsurfing hosts have come to Couchsurf with me in the U.S., and the offer is always open for anyone else to do the same.
My Interests
I'm really interested in anything having to do with geography. I love learning about new places. I love maps. If you bring me a map of where you're from (like a subway map or a map of touristy places), I'll hang it up on my wall and give you a big hug. It's always fun meeting people from all over the world and sharing experiences and stories. I love learning about cuisines from around the world and trying new food. Eating food is always a satisfying way to learn about a new culture. I'm also really interested in different languages. I speak a bit of Spanish and French, and have recently started trying to learn Russian. If you speak any of these languages, let me know. Podemos hablar en espanol tambien! If you could teach me a few phrases in your native language, that would be awesome.
