CURRENT MISSION

to travel in order to determine if I was born in the right place

ABOUT ME

I moved to Chicago from Austin, Texas a little over four years ago to go to school for accounting. I am 29, so I took some time off to discover what I love doing, which turned out to be accounting. I graduate school in December, and was recently accepted into the MBA program, so I'll probably stay in Chicago for that.

I love learning everything that I possibly can, and am interested in traveling the world. My good friends are from Kosovo and I am currently trying to learn Albanian. I decided to because my friends' parents are visiting from Kosovo in a few weeks, and I hate the thought of not being able to talk to them. I know exactly 26 phrases. I'm better with numbers than languages, so it's really difficult but extremely rewarding.

I met my brother, who was teaching English for 10 months, in Istanbul, this summer, and traveled Easter Europe for five weeks.

PHILOSOPHY

I live my life by the Golden Rule, "do to others what you would like to be done to you," and I tell myself every day that I have to step out of my comfort zone.

I grew up in a small town in Texas where I almost stayed after my high school graduation, and now I'm living in Chicago pursuing an accounting degree, about to get my MBA, and am traveling to Eastern Europe for a whole month in July! I could have easily stayed in that small town, gotten married, and had kids, because it was comfortable. Instead every day I think in amazement, "this is my life!"

"The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences." - Chris McCandless

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am interested in meeting local citizens when I travel to different countries and hope to immerse myself in the culture. I want to learn everything I can about a place and think that couch surfing is a great idea. I have roommates right now, but when I have my own place I hope I can have couch surfers stay with me. Until then, I would love to introduce anyone to my wonderful city, Chicago. I can show you around, tell you about places to stay and eat, or take you out on the town with my friends. Chicago is great, and it's nice to have someone local to show you the cool places and neighborhoods.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My brother and I stayed with awesome hosts in Zagreb, Lodz, and Krakow! It was such a wonderful experience. They showed us around their cities, and we got to see some of their favorite places. Hanging out with locals is the best thing I can ask for when traveling.

Interests

traveling, accounting, wine, beer, music, politics, learning about other cultures

• culture
• wine
• beer
• politics
• traveling
• music
• surfing
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Across the Universe, Into the Wild, Rachel Getting Married, Goodwill Hunting

The Beatles, Wilco, Spoon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Black Eyed Peas, Jay Z, David Guetta, Phish, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan, Monsters of Folk, Paolo Nutini, Radiohead

Pride and Prejudice, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Sophie Kinsella, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Malcolm Gladwell, Orson Scott Card, anything you recommend(I read 1 book a week when I'm in school and 2 or 3 when I'm not.)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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