I’m from the US but have been living in Latin America and working online since I graduated college in 2020.

Hablo español y inglés.

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Studied Sustainability, Business, and African Studies at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

I was born and raised in Omaha, but discovered the wonders of world travel in college. I studied for a semester in Cape Town, South Africa and since have travelled to Iceland, Laos, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the UK. Since graduating, I’ve been living in Latin America - mostly in Oaxaca, Mexico but also have spent time in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Colombia.

I’ve played sports my entire life (basketball, soccer, and football) and recently got into obstacle course racing. I’ve competed twice on NBC’s hit TV show, American Ninja Warrior.

I’m very open minded and willing to learn about a wide range of topics. I’m very interested in finance, business, technology, and climate change - especially the intersection of those areas.

I was raised Catholic but my philosophy is also heavily influenced by Buddhism and eastern thought. I’m always down for a deep theological or philosophical conversation or debate. I love meeting people who are knowledgeable and challenge my opinions.

I’m passionate about life. I love to write and want to live an interesting enough life that I can write a best-selling autobiography by the age of 30. I have a folder on my laptop compiling all of my best work that has the potential to be included in my book dropping in 2028!

I’m an introvert who has trained himself to temporarily function as an extrovert. I can spend hours thinking and processing my thoughts but also love meeting new people and having intellectually stimulating conversations. I love sharing stories and learning new things. I don’t go out very often, but I’m more likely to when I’m in a new culture where I can learn something from the experience.

Productivity is very important to me. I can work for hours at a time on projects I care about. I’m always looking for ways to get the most out of my day while still enjoying the present moment.

YouTube: MikeG Productions
Facebook: Michael Galeski
Instagram: @mikey__g
Twitter: @mikey_g_63

Por qué estoy en Couchsurfing

Although I started couchsurfing in 2019, I feel like I’ve been a couchsurfer in spirit for some time now! My ideal traveling experience has always been staying away from touristy locations and instead meeting the local people and sharing stories and experiences with them. Even if money wasn’t a factor, I would still much rather couchsurf than stay in a 5 star hotel. You can’t really learn about a new place if you don’t at least attempt to walk in local people’s shoes!

Also...I love learning about new cultures, but I see every human being as being limited to the confines of their own cultural upbringing. Travel is a unique way to “learn to unlearn” what we think we know about what is normal. The more we are exposed to unique experiences and ways of life, the more we can truly discover the fullest version of ourselves, free of societal limitations. To me, that’s all that matters. We’re all on a journey of slowing coming to a better understanding of who we really are, and happiness and fulfillment come a lot easier when we expedite that process.

Finally, although I travel extremely low budget, I also understand what a privilege it is to travel at all. I take this very seriously, and try to be intentional about using this privilege for good. I judge my life on the amount of positive impact I have on the world and the amount of love and inspiration I can spread to people I meet. I believe travel, and couchsurfing, are great opportunities to advance this mission.

Intereses

• working out
• meditation
• politics
• reading
• minimalism
• sports
• basketball
• soccer
• entrepreneurship
• neuroscience
• food
• spirituality
• sustainability
• social justice
• buddhism
• learning
• finance
• healthy lifestyle
• sustainable development
• climate change
• spanish
• bitcoin
• making videos
• global education
• cryptocurrency
• mindset

Música, películas y libros

Music: Open to anything when it comes to music. American hip hop/rap is my go-to, especially during workouts.

Books: Anything on personal development, international issues, biographies, autobiographies, mindset, spirituality...I want to learn something new when I read.

Movies: I very rarely watch movies, so I never get it when people make movie references. I do enjoy a good documentary though.

Algo increíble que he hecho

Here’s three...

Helped create a sustainable community garden in the Langa township of Cape Town.

Raised $135,000+ to build schools in Laos and promoted the project on American Ninja Warrior.

When I lived in Cape Town in 2017, I played on the University of Western Cape basketball team. In the first game, I broke the rim dunking and the game had to stop while they tried to fix the rim.

Enseña, aprende, comparte

I don’t know how qualified I am to teach anyone about anything, but I can share how I see things from my perspective.

I love acquiring new skills and very open to learning new things. Since October 2020 I’ve been on a mission to master Spanish!

If you’re hosting me I’ll share whatever I’ve got with you. Since that’s usually just what fits in my backpack, it’s probably not much...but it’s the thought that matters right?

Qué puedo ofrecer a los anfitriones

I have a rare talent for making up games, so if you’re competitive I can always create some sort of little challenge or game we can play. Other than that, I’m willing to share some good conversation and stories. I’m a below average cook at best, but I can help you out with meals.

Países que he visitado

Angola, Botswana, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Iceland, Kenya, Laos, Mexico, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Países en los que he vivido

Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, South Africa, United States