ABOUT ME

Hello Couchsurfers! I am a student of music and
languages, and many other things, currently finishing my undergraduate degree
at the University of Vermont, in chilly Burlington, Vermont. I grew up nearby
there in the state capital of Montpelier, a small town of fewer than 10,000
people nestled among beautiful hills that blaze with fantastical hues every
autumn and sleep a deep slumber each winter, frozen beneath forbidding layers
of hoary ice and dream-like, pure white snow. I love my home state of Vermont,
but my passion for the classical and Flamenco guitar and deep appreciation of
the Spanish language have brought me, for the time being, to Iberia, where I
hope to further immerse myself in these two deeply intertwined human languages
(i.e., Classical Guitar music and Castellano). 
 
    I love meeting new people from
around the world and enjoying a night out with friends, particularly ones who
share my interests in music, literature, and the arts in general, and thereby
learning unimagined, new things from people with fresh perspectives and
experiences utterly different from my own. I truly value the exchange that goes
on with interpersonal relationships new and old; I feel I have a great deal to
learn from most people I meet, and also much to share. Anyone who spends a
significant amount of time with me is likely to hear me practicing my guitar
music, which ranges from the Lute and Cello Suites of J.S. Bach, to Spanish
classical and Romantic music of Fernando Sor and Francisco Tárrega, to abstract
20th Century music by the likes of Frank Martin, et al. Part of my mission in
Spain and in Andalucía, in particular, is to deepen my knowledge of Flamenco
music and culture, and I relish every taste of experience or knowledge of this
illustrious art form that I come across. 
 
    I look forward to connecting
with people from Spain and all over the world through this magnificent resource
as I continue my travels. Have a wonderful time!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hola a todos los
Couchsurfers! Me llamo James, y soy estudiante de y aficionado a la música y
los idiomas, y en particular, la guitarra clásica y la lengua castellana. Casi
he acabado con mis  estudios
universitarios, los cuales han sido de ‘doble licenciatura’ en la literatura
iberoamericana y la guitarra clásica.
    Mi experiencia ‘ibérica,’
aunque sea de muy poca duración, ya ha sido encantadora. En los alberges
juveniles de Barcelona y Valencia he conocido a gente oriunda de todas partes
del mundo, y a través de la red de Couchsurfing, también he tenido la
oportunidad de conocer a gente española y joven como yo, lo que ha enriquecido
mi experiencia más que podía imaginar.
Durante mi estancia en
España espero ampliar mi conocimiento de la lengua y la cultura española, y en
particular, conocer a gente que comparta mi afición a la música clásica y
flamenca y que pueda enseñarme los detallitos cotidianos pero encantadores de
la vida en este país. Desafortunadamente, no puedo ofrecer alojamiento en
cambio a estas alturas, dado que estoy de viaje en Europa y no tengo residencia
permanente, pero por lo menos, puedo ofrecer música encantadora de mi guitarra
y buena conversación. Y, claro, si alguna vez en sus vidas mis amigos de
couchsurfing se encuentren en el estado encantador de Vermont, EE.UU., seguro
que tendrán un hogar allá conmigo. Gracias por leer esta monstruosidad de
biografía, y quizás nos vemos pronto… ¡Hasta luego!
 

PHILOSOPHY

De mente abierta, pero con gustos exigentes....

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far, I've just stayed with one very nice host in Valencia. I can't host anyone for the next two months, as I'm traveling Europe, but when I get back to the United States, I would love to host the good people of the Couchsurfing community. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hasta ahora, mi única experiencia con 'couchsurfing' ha sido una breve estancia en el apartamento de un anfitrión muy amable en Valencia, la cual fue una introducción muy alentadora a la red de 'couchsurfing'. Cuando estoy de viaje, no puedo alojar a los demás couchsurfers, pero cuando estoy de vuelta a mi país, mi casa estará siempre abierta a los que la necesiten.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

In Valencia, I made new friends, learned the best spots for cheap and delicious coffee, drinks, tapas, and paella, and, overall, got to know the city through the eyes of a native. Wonderful first experience. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~En Valencia, entablé amistades con gente local, encontré los mejores lugares para cenar o tomar una copa, y, sobre todo, conocí la ciudad casi como si yo fuera un nativo. Una experiencia encantadora.

Interests

Classical & Flamenco guitar, classical music, hip-hop, reggae, world music, North Indian classical music, classic rock, all good music in general! Anything with a great deal of genuine soul and/or intellectual rigor will usually interest me. I love literature, in particular Ibero-american literature (el 'boom' latinoamericano'), good film, most artistic pursuits. I also love outdoor and other physical activities such as cycling, hiking, swimming, strength training, and anything that gets the blood flowing. I like living life intensely and at a fast pace, but not without time to breathe and appreciate my surroundings, or just take a nice nap!

• arts
• culture
• literature
• flamenco
• coffee
• drinking
• traveling
• music
• classical music
• guitar
• world music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• swimming
• teaching
• languages
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Almodóvar! Iñárritu! Saura! Buñuel! Me encantan películas de lengua española, y, por suerte, hay montones de autores geniales y films de muy alta calidad. David Lynch. Werner Herzog. Francis Ford Coppola. John Schlesinger. Quentin Tarantino. Many other great directors. Music: I could go on forever here. I absolutely love Bach. I think I might be able to survive on Bach alone, particularly Glenn Gould playing the Partitas, Preludes, and Fugues.... Depending on my mood, I essentially enjoy the entire range of Western art music, from Palestrina and Des Prez to Bartok, Messiaen, Boulez, Ligeti, Stockhausen, Dallapicolla, et. al. 20th Century music particularly interests me, and I would like to study it further. Outside the classical music realm, I love an enormous array of music. Andalusian Flamenco, of course, ignites my spirit like almost no other art form. Hindustani Classical music as well. Appalachian old time folk music. JAZZ!! Afro beat, funk, hip-hop of all kinds also occupy a lot of my aural space. I love classic rock too, but do tire of it when it's overplayed.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Watching the endless Norwegian sunset fade into a spectacular moonrise, a moon of impossibly gigantic proportions and stunning luminescence, which hovered over the icy waters of Skagerakk, and then slowly gave way to a lazy sunrise. Summer in Norway was an unforgettable experience, and an imitable feeling... A feeling of lightness and timelessness that I haven't experienced since...

Teach, Learn, Share

Love teaching any and everything about music, and am a professional guitar teacher in the United States with a small group of pupils under my tutelage. I am also always looking to learn more about music. In Spain, I have truly relished every conversation I have had in Spanish, as each one helps to improve my faculties with the language.