CURRENT MISSION

Hi all! In short, my current objective is educating myself. I just moved to Santiago, Chile to start a Master's in Public Policy at the University of Chile. Beyond the classroom, I'm also hoping to learn about a new culture, country and people.

ABOUT ME

I'm 24 years old, hailing all the way from the Caribbean, where I was lucky enough to be brought up fully bilingual (english and spanish). Puerto Rico is my birthplace and home country, an island with amazing beaches, the best food in the world (in my humble opinion) and incredibly hospitable people.

My upbringing was unique, partly because my parents are Argentinean. They emigrated from Mendoza to Puerto Rico to look for a better life. And they found it... Thanks to them, I was able to leave home when I was 18 to study in the U.S., where I had the privilege of attending Williams College (a top liberal arts college in the US) to study Political Sciences and International Relations. My college, in turn, helped me do a semester abroad in Madrid, where I received a diploma in Economics from La Universidad Complutense. I also took the opportunity to travel to Portugal and Morocco. All in all, an unforgettable experience.

After graduation I lived once again in San Juan and then in New York City, working as a journalist and translator. And I also worked closely with Amnesty International regarding human rights. Eventually I decided I wanted to travel again, and return to the classroom. That led to me all the way to where I am today, Santiago. I'm hoping to graduate in two years with a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Chile. And of course, I'm hoping to leave Chile a wiser man, with more work experience, a degree, and new friends.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe in equity. I think anything that drives towards equality demonstrates maturity, balance, and empathy. Also, "live and let live".

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm not quite sure what to put in here. I'm hoping all the other categories make up for my lack of creativity on this one.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

This is actually my first time trying out Couch Surfing. I've heard tons of great stories from some of my friends, so I'm hoping to make some anecdotes of my own.

Interests

Anything politics, philosophy, history and literature. I can go for hours :P
Whisky and beer.
Movies and site-seeing.
Football (Barca fan!!), tennis, basketball and ping-pong.
Hiking.
Board games, pool, chess.

• arts
• culture
• books
• literature
• theater
• make up
• human rights
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• politics
• movies
• board games
• chess
• traveling
• billiards
• hiking
• surfing
• sports
• basketball
• soccer
• tennis
• economics
• history
• international relations
• journalism
• languages
• political science
• public policy
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Books (authors): Borges, Hesse, Hemmingway, Marx, Benedetti, Scott Fitzgerald, Twain, Neruda, Nietzsche, García Márquez, Feuerbach, Foucault, Allende, Galeano, García Lorca, Quiroga, Machado, Ortega y Gasset.

Movies: Anything Wes Anderson / Anything Nolan / Anything Will Ferrell / Anything Woody Allen / Anything Pixar. Cinema Paradiso, American Beauty, Big Fish, Airplane, Wedding Crashers, Fight Club, American Psycho, Forrest Gump, Abre tus ojos, Y tu mamá también, Como agua para chocolate, Persepolis, James Bond movies, etc.

Shows: The Wire, Arrested Development, Mad Men, Daily Show, Colbert Report, Breaking Bad, Weeds, Californication, Modern Family, Chappelle Show, How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy, South Park.

Food: Everything, especially Puerto Rican, Italian or Mexican.

Music: Too long to type, but essentially a little bit of everything.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've had the opportunity of living in amazing cities, including my hometown, San Juan, Boston, New York, Mendoza, Madrid, and now Santiago. I've been to Niagara Falls, the Andes mountains, and one of the biggest mosques in the world in Casablanca (Morocco). And perhaps most importantly, I've made friends in all of these places.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm fully bilingual! In both Spanish and English. I've taught both languages so I'd be glad to pass them on. I also know history, and politics, and literature. I'm always willing to have long chats about books, movies, and theater. And then sports. I'll do football, basketball, and tennis. Oh, and I can't leave out cooking. Puerto Rican food is absolutely delicious, so I like when people get to taste it.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Chile, Puerto Rico, Spain, United States