I never thought I would travel this much as a student, but between conferences and internships, there's plenty of bustling new cities and cold airport floors inviting me to sleep there.

I study physics because I deeply enjoy trying to understand the world around me; nowadays, I also want to make something useful of my education and try to improve the world around me as well.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My brother went to Germany for a month living with strangers and hopping from couch to couch by asking people in bars, in what German he could muster, "Hey, can I crash at yours tonight?" He brought back a spoken anthology of stories and experiences.

Likewise, we once hosted two couch surfers in our home in Puerto Rico for two weeks over the New Year's Eve. They were poets, they were fighters, they were dancers, they were a lot of things. They brought so much more into our lives than I could explain.

There's just something magical about being so honest to another person, y'know? That's what I'm looking for.

Interests

If there's something I am going to love doing for the rest of my life, it's reading. There were times were I would go on for months reading books everyday.

I love exploring--walking in new cities, hiking up mountains, or crawling around caves. I wouldn't say I'm good enough at it to be called a mountaineer or a caver, but you get the idea.

I'm studying Applied Physics for a B.S. and a few minors because everything behind them fascinates me. But out of all the things I could have picked to study, I chose this so I could work on something that can help us make up for all the damage we've done to our environment.

In my late teens, I read a book about why we (generally) love music--oddly enough it's what got me really into it. I self-taught myself to play piano soon afterwards and now I'm trying to read/play music.

Being a part of peoples' lives. Trying to make a difference. Expanding horizons. All that good stuff.

• cats
• writing
• books
• environment
• cooking
• walking
• reading
• music
• piano
• hiking
• mountaineering
• physics
• mountains
• meeting people
• people's stories

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: The kind you listen to when you're alone; the songs you sing to in the shower or in quiet nights. Sharing it feels like sharing a little secret about myself.

Movies: That's a tough one. If you want to know whether I liked a movie, ask me, "What did this film make you feel/think?"

Books: If I had to pick out three, I'd pick the Forever War; Guns, Germs and Steel; and the Song of Ice and Fire series. Can I pick three more? A Briefer History of Time, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and God is Dead (never read Nietzsche, this one is a short story anthology; it'll surprise you). There is never enough time to read.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Since I was a kid, I have been super fascinated by CERN and everything it stands for (I read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons around this time...). It set the highest standard for myself for where I could see myself professionally in the future.

As I am writing this, I'm sitting in a hostel inside CERN, where I have been working for the past two months as a summer student on a semi-independent experimental physics project. I have met other brilliant and fleshed-out people from all over the world, traveled with them, and bonded deeply with them. It's arguably the best highlight of my life...so far.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm willing to talk about anything, to teach anything I know (or think I know), and to learn anything.

But to be honest, practicing with the little French I know would be great. I'm also up for learning to play any small wind instruments, how to massage, and to learn about computers (for example, how to use Linux, and programming). :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'll do house work. Sometimes I make jokes. I can cook, or follow instructions for cooking. I'm happy to do any chores, really. I would also like to spend time with you and have a good time.

Countries I’ve Visited

England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal

Countries I’ve Lived In

Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, United States