I enjoy reading (especially classics and philosophy), hiking, history, walking in general and getting to know people from different places and backgrounds. I've lived most of my life in Southern California but have lived abroad in Corn Island, Nicaragua and Catania, Italy. I really like languages and have a basic fluency in Spanish and some Italian (a little rusty). I've been working in real estate the last 7 years and have a background in construction.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet new people and get a more local or at least more familiar take on the places I visit with the hope of being able to meet again somewhere sometime.

Interests

• movies
• reading
• hiking
• basketball
• economics
• languages
• philosophy
• sociology
• travel
• books,

Music, Movies, and Books

Lately have been listening to a lot of The National, Bauhaus and New Order but I like a lot of different kinds of music from Mexican mariachi to Bach.
The movies I like to watch tend do fluctuate a bit but I really like Spaghetti Westerns, Fellini films, film noir, dramas, Tarantino films, Woody Allen movies (maybe that's not something to share on a public profile, but what the hell) historical movies and of course, stupid comedies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There was an old man in a town that I spent a good part of my teen years in. He was living alone, no family close by and most of his friends had died. I used to regularly stop in and see him, get him groceries and just hang out with him. We talked about all kinds of things but much of the time we spoke about God, the Bible and life after death as these were our main shared interests. All in all, as this was going on I really didn't think too much of it, it was just something that I did because I enjoyed spending time with him and I felt it was a good thing to do. I was away one summer (different time zone) and woke up to a voicemail from his cell phone. It was his daughter who I hadn't yet met telling me that the old man had died. She sincerely thanked me for all the time I had spent with her dad and told me it really made a big impact on his final years. I guess he talked about it quite a bit. I had no idea that it meant so much to him. Even now thinking about it I get a little teary-eyed. I am so thankful that she took the time to call me and tell me that. I really don't know if this qualifies as amazing and I surely was not the only factor in this experience but it's the most salient part of my life thus far that I would venture to describe that way.

Teach, Learn, Share

In all honesty there is not a lot that I feel qualified to teach but I am always happy to help people figure things out.
I'm an avid learner, not that I learn fast or well. I just enjoy learning new things, especially when it comes to culture, history, language, philosophy or just simply a new way of doing something - especially cooking as I am really bad at that.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happy to talk about just about anything except for American pop-country music... Not a fan of that.. All joking aside, I'm happy to help keep the place clean (do dishes, vacuum, ect.,). I also do have a background in construction so any little things around the house that might need some fixing I'd be happy to help with.. Except for maybe electrical, I really do not want to burn your house down :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Portugal, San Marino, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, Nicaragua, United States