CURRENT MISSION

I seek to get to know people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. I want to help build a sense of community in Seattle and the Northwest. I want to hang out with locals and get to know "behind-the-scenes" places and local restaurants.

ABOUT ME

I was born and grew up in the Portland area, mainly Happy Valley. I went to Clackamas High School and Pacific Lutheran University.

I'm currently working as the Volunteer Coordinator at El Centro de la Raza, a social justice-based, Latino activist and advocacy non-profit orgainzation located in Beacon Hill (south Seattle). It's a one year stipended volunteer position through the Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC). I'm living in an intentional community with 6 other (7 total) volunteers who all are doing LVC and working at various non-profits in the area. We strive to live out the LVC core values of social justice, simplicity and sustainability, and community.

Another "home away from home" for me is Holden Village, a unique, isolated Lutheran community located in the North Cascade mountains. It is only accessible by ferry across Lake Chelan. I grew up visiting Holden with my family. Several times as a child, my father, a friend of mine, and his father backpacked into Holden from the Phelp's Creek trailhead (23 miles). My girlfriend and I are planning on applying to work there this upcoming year.

PHILOSOPHY

I have a passion for social justice, environmental awareness, and intercultural sensitivity. I studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico for a semester, where I lived with a home stay family and took classes through PLU. I learned a lot about US-Mexico relations and immigration issues on that trip, which have made me passionate about advocating immigration reform. I enjoy speaking Spanish with anyone who wants.

I believe that we must rekindle Dr. Martin Luther King's revoluntionary spirit, which demands justice for the poor and the oppressed, as Jesus did. I grew up in the Lutheran church, and was a camp counselor at Camp Lutherwood, near Eugene, OR for three summers.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I like the idea of couchsurfing, because it helps break down the isolated, individualistic culture prevalent here in the US, and instead fosters a sense of community. It also is a cool way for people from diverse cultures to come together, share knowledge and experiences, and build relationships. It is a cool way to get a new insight into an area, with recommendations from locals about restaurants and behind-the-scenes local places. It is also convenient, as it can help people visit a new location without worrying about expensive hotel fees.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I just opened a new couchsurfing account (1/19/12). However, my housemate, Courtney Greenley, is an active couchsurfer, and started by couchsurfing in Germany. Through her account, we've hosted 3 or 4 groups of 1-2 couchsurfers here at our LVC house in Seattle. I've really enjoyed the experience of getting to know people from different backgrounds. We had a guy from Germany stay here, and we ended up going to a Seattle Sounders F.C. game with him and chatting lots about "football" (soccer). We had two guys stay here who were biking down the Pacific Coast, from Canada to Mexico. They were really cool, and had a lot of stories to share.

Interests

I love being active and exploring. I've done several backpacking trips with my family and friends, I regularly go for runs, and I love snowboarding, biking, bodysurfing at the beach, and lots of other activities.

I love playing music. I have taken 15 years of piano lessons, and have self-taught myself the guitar for about 10 years. I also played the viola in orchestra 6th-12th grade, and have sung in various church choirs.

I also like exploring, and finding local, behind-the-scenes places and things to do.

• culture
• baking
• partying
• music
• guitar
• piano
• cycling
• backpacking
• camping
• snowboarding
• hang gliding
• soccer
• law
• volunteering
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy reading books about social justice, liberation theology, or that promote cultural awareness. I loved Shane Claiborne's Jesus for President and The Irresistable Revolution (probably the two best books I've ever read). Other spirituality/social justice books I enjoyed include Blue Like Jazz, A New Kind of Christian, God's Politics, and The Shack. I also enjoy action and fantasy books, such as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, the Harry Potter series, and the Eragon/Inheritance series. I did my senior capstone project at PLU on Ernesto Cardenal's epic poem, El Estrecho Dudoso (The Doubtful Straight), a thoughtful and biting re-interpretation of the history of the Americas, from the perspective of the un-represented advocates of the marginalized in history using liberation theology.

I enjoy watching comedies or action movies. I am a diehard fan of Monte Python and the Holy Grail (or other similar British humor). I also love Christmas Vacation (the classic Christmas comedy with Chevy Chase), Dumb and Dumber, and Airplane. In terms of action movies, I loved Pirates of the Caribbean, Sherlock Holmes, and Inception to name a few. I'm a big fan of the Disney/Pixar movies (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles)

I like a wide range of music. I'm a fan of oldies and soft rock/feel good music (The Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire, the Beach Boys, Chicago), as well as classic rock (Boston, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, the Dooby Brothers, The Eagles, Foreigner, Jimmy Hendrix, Queen), and more modern rock bands (Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Scissor Sisters, Michael Franti, The Script, Owl City). I'm also a big fan of pop (Michael Jackson, Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, Elton John).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went hang gliding this summer with fellow camp counselors. (We didn't jump off a cliff- we flew down a sand dune at the beach- pretty cool!)

Teach, Learn, Share

I enjoy baking bread and making yogurt, and would be happy to do so with any prospective couch surfers.

I play guitar, and would be happy to do a jam session/ lesson on guitar playing.

I have a slackline, and I love to use it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacklining). Especially on a sunny weekend, I'd love to go slacklining with any visitors!

I have been volunteering at BikeWorks this year, and would be happy to show any prospective couch surfers that organization and take them to a Volunteer Repair Party (VRP), and/or offer my limited knowledge about bike repair.

I would love to speak Spanish and/or talk about Latin America with anyone who has any experience with Spanish.