Español es mi lengua materna, pero no tengo ganas de traducir mi perfil!

After studying genetics, I decided I need to live a little before being chained to the lab bench for 5-8 years while I get my PhD. So I did the sensible thing and bought a one-way ticket to China! I ended up spending 3 years hitchhiking and bike touring through China, Taiwan, HK, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Vanuatu, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.

Then, I spent a year living in Seattle, doing a lot of CS hosting. Now I'm back on the road, temporarily living in Mexico.

I guess you can say I've traveled a lot. I've been in 27 countries and I've hitchhiked about 15,000 miles/24,000 km.

I try my best to be a good intersectional feminist and ally to people of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, anatomical configurations, and nationalities. I strive to make my house a comfortable space for all; that said, I do not tolerate hateful, bigoted, or abusive people.

PHILOSOPHY: That the natural state of human spirit is ecstatic wonder! That we should not settle for less!

Site: www.RichardDecal.com
FB: www.facebook.com/BrownianTravel

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love the idea of a social network that encourages people to interact in real life. There is great confort in being able to meet people in any part of the globe. My CS experiences have connected me with people from across the globe and have inspired me to do unconditional acts of kindness :)

You can also find me on Warmshowers, TrustRoots, and BeWelcome.

Interests

Science, especially molecular biology and machine learning. Nature: hiking mountains, kayaking, trekking. Cooking and eating. Learning. Reading, writing, and photography (check out my blog!) Politics, social justice, activism.

• arts
• photography
• wine
• politics
• hiking
• kayaking
• snowboarding
• rock climbing
• science
• hitchhiking
• activism
• climate change
• open source
• machine learning
• futurism
• artificial intelligence
• frugality
• climate justice
• vanlife
• computational neuroscience

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to things to list. Anything that tickles my brain!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've seen the sun touch the ocean and go back up (the midnight sun north of the Arctic Circle). I've biked across Taiwan, New Zealand, and the US and I've hitchhiked about 15,000 miles (Earth's radius is 4,000). I've grown neurons and did experiments on their mitochondria. In the span of a week I went from hitchhiking and waking up in a frosted over tent to being the chauffeur of an anointed knight, driving his Rolls Royce. I've touched meteorites, the moon, Martian rocks, dinosaur fossils, and have seen a vial of diamond dust older than our solar system. I spent a few months living on a tiny speck of an island in Vanuatu.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love meeting passionate people and hearing about their obsession, whether it be art, science, or community.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Italy, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Australia, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, United States

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