CURRENT MISSION

My current mission is to fill my life with travels and people.

ABOUT ME

Well, I feel a lot less pressure to write this one than I did for a dating profile a while back.

Let's start out with what I like/love. I love to read, meet new people, and travel. Reading helps me see into another person's mind on a very personal level, and that's an experience I appreciate. For the same reason, I love meeting new people. Understanding, talking, sharing, growing, and just being plain silly are some of my favorite things to do. I've found that I meet the most people when I'm in the traveling mindset.

PHILOSOPHY

I have a few. I have a type of spirituality that's constantly with me, and the gist of it starts with defining spirituality. For me, spirituality is the feeling of being part of something larger than yourself. The system of spirituality I ascribe to is one of relationships with other people. Around the world, down the hall, in the same room, all people are connected by simply being human beings. It's an inescapable part of our lives. Positive spirituality comes from nurturing, accepting, and understanding these relationships we share with each other.

Following this I have a spirituality of patience. I believe there is a difference between waiting for something and being patient. In my mind, patience is the absence of waiting. When I wait for something, I feel inner turmoil: a need to check my watch, feeling jittery, etc. When I'm patient, I accept reality for what it is and what it will be.

Combing the above two, I loved to listen to people. I love creating an environment where somebody feels comfortable sharing thoughts and ideas. I've learned that people will share a lot more and a lot more genuinely if they're allowed to release their thoughts at their own pace without being biased by questions. Questions can be a good guiding tool, but only to guide, not direct, the conversation.

Above all, I believe in kindness.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Participate in? Ummm, well I volunteer, tutor, and teach. So I like to think I participate in the world around me. For this website I'm mainly looking to couchsurf instead of host. I don't have a place of my own.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've never couch surfed! I told some friends about my upcoming travel plans and they recommended this to me. They said it was my kind of experience.

Interests

Books
Wandering
Deep Conversations
Silly Conversations
Nights of relaxing or going out with others
Mathematics
Any type of adventure. I'd go just about anywhere

• books
• singing
• dancing
• environment
• dining
• wine
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• opera
• hiking
• teaching
• mathematics
• tourism
• volunteering
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite books... I just finished reading The Idiot and loved it. The Prophet. Ender's Game. Sons and Lovers. The Social Animal. Les Miserables, Hyperbole and a Half. The list goes on.... Oh! Can't forget One Piece.

I'm not so big on movies actually and most of my favorite movies involves singing. Aladdin, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Les Miserables. Though I've got a giant soft spot for romantic comedies, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, 500 Days of Summer, Spirited Away.

I swear I watch Scrubs once every year or two.

For music, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, and Billy Joel hold a special place in my heart, but Thelonious Monk and Paramore are being played pretty often nowadays.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There was one night, when I was traveling in Croatia with friends, that we heard music. The music was a little far off and through the forest, but the combination that we could hear was intriguing. There were plenty of voices, a guitar, a saxophone, and a male opera singer. We decided that whatever group was producing the music, we'd like to be where they were!

So we start hiking through the forest and stumble across a road leading to a house. We show up behind the house and we see a roaring fire pit, a long table stacked with food and wine, and people singing, laughing, and having a good time. We can tell pretty quickly it is a family affair and decide it would be rude to interrupt. So we turn away and decide to head back to the beach.

Just as we turned around they shouted out to us. No idea what they said. And then we shout back to them, asking if they spoke English. And they respond, "Come feast with us!" The rest of the night became a blur of dancing, music, talking, eating, and drinking. Each person had their own story about how they became involved in the group.

I didn't really do anything in this story. All I did was show up somewhere. But these people welcomed me into their home like family, and for night we were. I will never forget that hospitality. I have been paying it forward every since and that experience is one of main reasons I love to travel. They were amazing people.

Countries I’ve Visited

Croatia, Italy

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hungary, United States