Hey Everyone! My name is Mike and I am an Engineering Professor at The University of Maryland and I live in downtown Washington D.C. In my spare time I love to bake for my students, workout / do yoga / play golf & volleyball, travel during school breaks and check out different events / restaurants / bars around DC.

As a teacher, I do my best to take advantage of all of my time off during spring, summer and winter breaks. When I travel I love meeting new people, learning about new cultures, learning about history, exploring the unique architecture and natural surroundings of a place and trying every type of new food I can!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing to connect with other easy-going travelers so that I can make new friends and share laughs and adventures with people from all around the world! I hope to become more involved by hosting travelers in my apartment in Washington DC and to join meetups abroad to meet fellow travelers. All in all, I hope to make great new memories and new friends :)

Interests

• dancing
• baking
• yoga
• movies
• hiking
• sports
• travelling
• comedy
• restaurants

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Music: I play the drums and a little bit of guitar and piano and generally enjoy most kinds of music. I'm a fan of the classics like The Beatles, CCR, Neil Young, Pink Floyd and artists like The Lumineers, Leon Bridges, Old Dominion and Zac Brown Band.

Favorite Movies: I definitely am a big fan of movies! After making loads of goofy and special effect heavy teaching videos, I definitely have a new appreciation for how much work goes into movies. I'm a sucker for romantic comedies like The Five Year Engagement and The Heartbreak Kid and I also love action moves like Mission Impossible, James Bond , and the Marvel Movies! I will watch pretty much anything except scary movies, I am way too afraid to watch those!

Favorite Books: Every night before I go to bed I try to read a little bit of fiction and non fiction. I am currently reading The Book of Joy by The Dalai Lama and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne. Generally I enjoy reading books about Happiness, like The Happiness Advantage and adventure books by Dan Brown and Michael Crichton. Also, who doesn't enjoy Harry Potter??

Teach, Learn, Share

I love meeting people from all over the world, learning about different cultures and swapping travel stories. I consider myself to be a very open minded and easy-going person and I'd be happy to share anything I can with my hosts, guests and fellow travelers.

What I Can Share with Hosts

In terms of qualities that make me an excellent guest; I am very organized, very neat and clean, I don’t smoke, and I am highly trustworthy. I am a very amicable / social guy who is super easy to get along with, and I know lots of Dad jokes; as a teacher that is basically my job! I have been told by many friends that I am an excellent guest. I always try to leave a space as clean as it was when I got there, I make the bed, keep the bathroom clean and I love sharing little gifts to thank my hosts :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States