CURRENT MISSION

Writing my 9th non-fiction book and publishing my first graphic novel!.

ABOUT ME

Stranger in a strange land: I have lived in Yucatan since 2003 and love it from a foreigner's POV. I don't take any of Yucatan's features for granted, which makes me a very fortunate man for living here. In its own imperfect way, this place is as good as it gets.

PHILOSOPHY

Don't sell your life short-- do everything that you want to do and do not committ to a sedentary life before realizing at least one of your life's goals, whatever it might be. But don't settle down until you have accomplished at least one.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I welcome everyone who wants to either know or return to the Mayan heartland.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Newbie here at CS, but have traveled through Guatemala and most of Mexico relying on the kindness of strangers.

Interests

Anything off the beaten path.

• writing
• reading
• entrepreneurship
• films
• reading books
• film
• graphic novels
• creative writing
• silent film

Music, Movies, and Books

I make my living as owner of TOEFL preparation agency but I'm a silent film historian, so if the mood strikes you we can see a pre-1927 film, my collection is quite extense.
Films (Pre-1930): Intolerance, Greed, The Blue Bird, Lonesome, The Unknown, Der Müde Tod, The Wind, The Crowd.
Films (Post-1930): Cries and Whispers, Once Upon a Time in the West, Cidade de Deus, The Salvation.
My musical interests are mainly tango, fado, ragtime, and pre-1930's jazz. Some catchy modern stuff, too.
My favorite literary authors and their creations: Samuel Beckett, Comment c'est; Horacio Quiroga, Cuentos de amor, locura y muerte; Francois de la Rochefoucauld, Maximes; Aeosp, Fables; O. Henry, The four million; Julio Cortázar, Todos los fuegos el fuego; Aristophanes, Comedies; J.D. Salinger, Seymour: An introduction; Alex Haley, Roots.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most sublime image I've seen is peering through the surface of a cenote at noon, with light rays converging at the bottom of the well. As an adjective, "amazing" comes short for describing it.

Teach, Learn, Share

Ok, I guess that the subject I'm best qualified for teaching is silent film and general film history. Not everyone's cup of tea, I agree, but still: if you'd like to know about the roots of the movies, I've got loads of useful (and plenty of useless but nevertheless mighty interesting) information. And of course, a myriad tips for taking theTOEFL, GRE, GMAT, and SAT!

What I Can Share with Hosts

A pretty sharp sociological insight into Latin America and its inhabitants. Everyday I read about two-hours worth of American, European and Latin American publications and am used to contrasting its wildly differing viewpoints about what's each latitude's sense of what's "normal".

Countries I’ve Visited

Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Panama, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico