CURRENT MISSION

I believe that the nature of all knowledge is dialectic, that it is borne out through conversations of all varieties, and this dialectic is best manifested in conversation between individuals

ABOUT ME

I am currently living in a small village in Georgia on the coast of the Black Sea, teaching English, and experiencing a year in the post-Soviet Union. But this is just the latest stage of a life that has taken me through the mountains and forests of Western North Carolina to the top of the Cumberland Plateau where I studied Philosophy, Russian, and Environmental Studies at Sewanee: The University of the South.

I am using the opportunity I have this year not only to experience life in rural Georgia, but also to explore the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and those parts of the world that are much easier to get to from here than from back home in America.

PHILOSOPHY

We cannot know a thing in itself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Currently living abroad, I currently find myself much more in a position to surf than to host, but this year of surfing when I need to has made me determined to host as soon as I am able.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I was first introduced to CouchSurfing with a great recent surfing experience in Jerusalem followed closely by another unforgettable experience in Amman. The two both gave me a great introduction to CouchSurfing as well as convinced me of how unique of a community it forms.

Interests

I like to think of myself as having a fairly eclectic range of interests. Some of the tops aren't exactly the biggest hits at parties, but I think I make up for it in a breadth of others. I love botany, philosophy, Russian literature, and ecology. I am an avid hiker/backpacker, enjoy almost any activity outdoors, but also enjoy sitting and playing a game of chess over a pot of tea. I love conversations on literature, theology, Appalachian culture, and sustainable living and am always happy to sit and talk on any of them or almost any other topic over drinks for hours.

• culture
• literature
• make up
• wine
• partying
• drinking
• chess
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• backpacking
• surfing
• divinity
• ecology
• environmental studies
• mountains

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was backpacking alone through Georgia's beutiful Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, and climbed to the top of Lomismta where I met some cattleherders outside a tiny chapel who took me to their shack on top of the mountain, spread out a huge feast with Georgian cha-cha and wine before me, and though we could barely speak 100 words to each other we feasted together in the late morning sun, looking out over the lush green of the Southern Caucasus forest,

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Panama, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Georgia, Russian Federation, United States