CURRENT MISSION

Obtaining the realest deals possible

ABOUT ME

I came to Kyrgyzstan as a Peace Corps Volunteer on lake Issyk Kul where I taught English in a school and ran various other projects through a Children's Educational Center. Shortly after the violence that broke out in the South I finished my service and was hired by Catholic Relief Services, an International development and relief agency to help affected populations by implementing a shelter and winterization project.

I currently live in Osh with my fiancee, who was a JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Community Development volunteer in the village I lived on Issyk Kul. Sometimes we pine for the times of volunteerism where while the money was non-existent, you had loads of time- pretty much the opposite of our current situation.

PHILOSOPHY

Better to die saying "I wish I hadn't..." than "I wish I had..."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Surfing, hosting. That is pretty much it.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have hosted several people and surfed once.

Interests

MUSIC! I am a guitarist and singer and love to play with other people (I have taught guitar lessons here but precious few play well) and listen to all sorts of new and different stuff. I also am an avid reader, outdoors lover (backpacking/hiking anyone?), Frisbee player, and eater.

• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• surfing
• languages
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Apocalypse Now
Anything by Christopher Guest
Pixar films
The Usual Suspects
Fellini films

Books (Authors):
Kurt Vonnegut
Orson Scott Card
Tom Robbins
Joseph Heller
Nikolai Gogol

Music:
Very wide range- Favorite artists include: Steve Reich, The Fugees, Sufjan Stevens, The Who, Thelonius Monk, Asha Bholse, Paul Simon, Boards of Cananda, David Grisman, and of course the Beatles (just to name a very very few)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sunset on the Sabbath standing near the Western Wall on the border of East Jerusalem, hearing the prayers of the Jews at the Wall and the hundreds of mosques from East Jerusalem come to life with the call to prayer. A haunting and beautiful spiritual experience.

Teach, Learn, Share

Things I can teach-
How to live in a post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan, intermediate guitar, English, outdoors activities available on Issyk Kul
Things I'd like to learn
Advanced guitar, new languages, what you are doing in Kyrgyzstan