www.pedroledesmaiii.com

CURRENT MISSION

Live Freely, Find my Place, Make a Difference

ABOUT ME

Grew up in a small town in Texas to a Mexican-American father and Korean mother. I'm a bit Asian, Latin and American and enjoy living in different places. I love to learn. I've done a few odd jobs in investment banking, teaching math in Korea, consulting for startups and development. I recently ended a 2-year stint with the World Bank.
Since high school I've lived in Boston, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, Palo Alto, Guatemala, South Korea, New York, Bangalore, Dehli, Jakarta and Johannesburg, New Orleans, DC, and now Richmond, VA.

PHILOSOPHY

I think there is a better way to live than how most people do and I strive to seek the best way for myself. I also hope to influence and change how others live.
Recently I'm into the idea of traveling all over the US. I just bought a motorcycle and am excited to see the country on it. Also, I'm more into the outdoors these days.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Have stayed with some awesome hosts in Germany, Botswana and the US and have met a couple of people in Bangalore. I've hosted but not through CS specifically. Unfortunately I could not host in Joburg during the World Cup.
I can now host (on somewhat limited basis) in New Orleans and excited to do so.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Since joining, I am a huge advocate. In this day and age, sometimes it's the simple things that are sometimes the most mind-blowing. CS is the result of good, basic human nature in one of its most purest forms: people staying with others as they travel...sharing stories, ideas... making friends. But with all the madness and lack of trust these days, this idea seems incredible to some outside of it. But it works. And it's amazing.
My first experience was in Frankfurt, Germany. I didn't make any plans and the nearest hostel was booked. I hopped on CS and a sweet, single German girl let me stay at her place. I had a simple profile and because I was new had no one to vouch for me. I met her after dark at her place, had a great conversation, slept on her couch, shared her one bathroom in the morning and went off to catch a train. The trust was amazing and I hope I can add to it. I only hope I was as good a guest as she was a host. And I hope I continue to be...

Interests

Lately I have been most interested in economic and social development and was hoping to make it a career. I'm no wondering if there's something else I should be doing and I'm working on starting my own business.
I enjoy photography and, of course, travel.. I like almost all racquet sports, i.e. tennis, squash, etc....maybe not those wooden paddles with the ball you play at the beach.
Recently some of my photos were selected for an upcoming exhibition in DC. If interested, you can see some photos here:
www.pedroledesmaiii.com

• photography
• drinking
• traveling
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• sports
• tennis
• racquetball
• swimming
• world cup
• business
• languages
• mathematics
• beaches
• squash

Music, Movies, and Books

Been reading a lot more lately, hoping to make up for being math and science focused for so many years. Recently read, Love in the Time of Cholera, Motorcyle Diaries, Midnight's Children, The Namesake, A Brief History of Time, God of Small Things, India Before Gandhi, Shantaram, Gifted, City of Djinns. Have enjoyed Camus, Steinbeck, Sen, Ayn Rand, Kafka, Sarte. Pretty limited in literature though.
Movies: The Godfather I & II, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, The Departed, Casino, Sex and Lucia, Rush Hours, Die Hards, Bournes, Empire of the Sun, Legends of the Fall, River Runs Through It, Enemy at the Gates, Tears of the Sun, Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, Heat, Casablanca, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Goodwill Hunting, City of God, Un Prophete, I Am Sam, etc.
Music: typical Ibiza House, Brazilian, Latin, Classical, classic rock, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Chili Peppers, Audioslave, Pearl Jam, Enya (ha!), classical guitar, Gipsy Kings, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One thing I'll share is a brief moment in Colorado while on a family vacation. My brother and I got out of the car on the highway and traversed down a steep, rocky hill with some thick vegetation that included some pretty spiky bushes. In fact, we were scared of the plants puncturing the inner tubes we were carrying. Sure enough, my brother punctured his on the way down.
Finally, we reached the river we were trying to float down. The water was cold and we were ill prepared. But my tube was fine and we started out way down, my brother swimming more than floating. Soon, the cliffs rose vertically from the river bed and it was amazing. We came around a bend and there in the shallow water was a buck drinking from the cool flowing water. It raised it's head to look at me. It stopped and stared for a few seconds, then bounded off up a pass, water splashing up as it ran through the river. There was no sign of civilization around and I just felt immersed in nature in raw form.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to learn guitar. I played the cello for many years though am very much out of practice. It would be nice to pick that up again in the near future.
I would also like to practice my Spanish and work on learning other languages.
I teach the GMAT/SAT and enjoy working with kids.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Botswana, Canada, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Macao, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, United Arab Emirates, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Guatemala, India, Indonesia, South Africa, South Korea, United States