CURRENT MISSION

To develop quality connections with the people I meet in my life journey

ABOUT ME

My name is David.

I believe in:

*being grateful for everything we have
*living in the present moment
*living from the heart, not the head
*connecting with people, not pursuing objects
*being authentic and sincere
*taking risks
*growing beyond our personal limits
*enjoying life's little things
*laughing (not taking life so seriously)
*living a balanced life
*being of service to humanity (and watching our happiness increase and the world positively change as a result)

PHILOSOPHY

I truly believe free will is one of our greatest gifts because it gives us the choice of seeing the positive side of everything that happens in our lives. Everything, including our greatest challenges, can be used for the benefit of becoming stronger and realizing our wonderful potential. Therefore, I do my best to be positive-minded, cheerful, and open-hearted. With that said, however, we also need to allow ourselves to be human and to constructively express our negative emotions as they arise. It does no good to fake a smile when we're crying inside. Authenticity, then, is one of the most important characteristics we can have. We need to be real and sincere if we want to have fulfilling relationships and a happy life. To this end, I do my best to put my ego aside and be sincere with everyone I encounter. I also think it's important to be caring and compassionate with others and do our best to look past our differences to our underlying commonalities. While life is not easy, in the end it's simple. If we follow these basic but important guidelines (among others), we can have the beautiful life we all desire.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At this time, I am enjoying meeting all the wonderful people connected with CouchSurfing. It's more than enough.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I hope to get to know many people in this world through CS, as a host, guest, and a fellow traveler.

Interests

I have four main interests:

1. Art! (also architecture and photography)
2. Nature! (Hiking and just spending time in the mountains, beaches, parks, and gardens)
3. Dancing! (free-style mostly, but I'm also interested in learning more salsa and swing)
4. Jazz! (All kinds, but especially piano jazz and trios playing standards)

My other hobbies: traveling, snow skiing, rollerblading, bicycling, and sports in general (including a little football, the European kind). I really enjoy living in foreign countries and getting to know their respective cultures.

• arts
• architecture
• photography
• dancing
• flamenco
• dining
• wine
• picnic
• coach
• flying
• boating
• traveling
• jazz
• guitar
• piano
• hiking
• skiing
• sports
• soccer
• beaches
• parks
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

All kinds of positive, uplifting books and films, too many to list here. :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Amazing thing seen:

Sitting at a picnic table with a friend in Australia, I was eating lunch when suddenly a wild cockatoo came flying down from above and landed on our table. Within two minutes, six or so of his friends came flying down to accompany him. A 'pack' of cockatoos were after our food, and one of them was bold enough to hop on my shoulder in order to get closer to it.

Two amazing things done:

In the summer of 2014, I conducted my own personal development seminar in 27 different cities around Europe, promoting it and making the necessary arrangements mostly by myself.

At the age of 23, I traveled on my own to Seville, Spain where I lived and taught English privately for two years----without knowing anyone or the language (not bad for a U.S. citizen:).

Others:
**hiked through "Alto Paraiso" in central Brazil and had my watch stop for 45 minutes (and then recently met someone who went there and had a similar experience!)
**hung out with Bedouins and camels in the desert of Saudi Arabia
**went boating with an English guy off the north coast of Bali as the sun was setting and watched dolphins jump out of the water around us
**watched the processions of Semana Santa (Holy Week) in the dark, candlelit streets of Seville, Spain
**In Indonesia, boiled an egg in a volcano and then hiked down the mountain through tea plantations and a local village
**cracked open coconuts and drank the milk on the coast of Honduras
**drank wine and listened to my Spanish friends play flamenco guitar under the summer moon in Seville
**lived a fantastic summer on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English, conflict resolution (how to improve your relations at work), and other life skills such as the achieving true personal success, living life to the fullest, and finding true happiness. I can coach people to find a better direction in life. I look forward to sharing my gifts with others and receiving theirs as well.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I share my sincerity, laughter, and life perspectives with my hosts. I think it's all about finding a good connection and enjoying the moment.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Brazil, Greece, Honduras, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, United States