Please read my profile! I'm amazed by how many people don't. It's 2017; have your social media profiles up, or at least a bio, so I know who's requesting a place to stay.

** If your profile is incomplete, I will assume you are just looking to stay at a place for free and I will say no to your request. My space and safety are more important than your budget.

** I tend to favor solo travelers, as I know what it's like to be on your own. Plus my place is not that large. Definitely no more than 2 people. Please request one night only, then we can see how it goes. I have a small place, and I work from home, so I need quiet.

CURRENT MISSION

Welcome to FresYes, CA (Or the "No")

ABOUT ME

Moved to Fresno, CA in 2012 after 7 years in Los Angeles.

I've visited 70 countries and have lived abroad (Korea, UAE). Currently I am a freelance writer and consultant. Been to 40 U.S. states as well.

Some of my work:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/leon-kaye
http://www.triplepundit.com/topic/leon-kaye/
http://greengopost.com/

PHILOSOPHY

Love exploring the world, from rural American towns to . . . rural towns abroad. Big cities start to look all the same after a while.

420 friendly. If you share. :) I indulge a few times a year at most.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Really new at this though I have had a profile for a while. Done with hotels, hostels. Ready to host occasionally, but I often have house guests and I travel a lot for my work.

I figure if I write about sustainability I need to live it even more--so partly, my goal of using couchsurfing more is to be able to talk about it; naturally all names and locations will not be revealed ;)

Look, I'm more interested in the cultural exchange and getting to know people than providing people a free place to spend the night. I don't expect a long story of what you can do to make our lives better, blah blah blah, but make yourself more interesting than, hey, I have no where to stay. Hotels in Fresno are cheap; I want to open my place to interesting people, not users.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Twice in San Francisco as a guest. One experience was great, the other creepy. I've stayed at just about every kind of accommodation.

I have stayed in random people's homes when I've traveled abroad.

Interests

writing, reading, hiking, cooking, travel, photography, weightlifting, yoga, occasional bad TV, international travel, the Balkans, appreciating the U.S. midwest

• writing
• photography
• cooking
• cocktails
• yoga
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• freelancing
• history
• netflix
• cycle touring

Music, Movies, and Books

Netflix, AbFab, Scandal, Jackie Brown, British Sitcoms, The Economist, anything I can get my hands on. Sucker for British Sitcoms. Absolutely Fabulous is by far my favorite and I'm THRILLED it's coming back for one more season.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Worked in several industries and somehow I survived all of them..

Spent much time in the Balkans (life-defining for me), and loved the people despite the harsh history there.

Had a master's at age 23; not that I use it :P

Teach, Learn, Share

Those who have lived abroad and are good at reinventing themselves are people I can identify with.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking skills, writing skills, dog sitting skills :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Palestine, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay