"If you're twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go." - Anthony Bourdain

MISSION: To exchange cultures with everyone I meet, to experience how people around the world experience life, and to have a positive impact on everyone I encounter.

About me:
I'm an Aerospace engineer. I finished my bachelor's degree in December 2020 and started my first full-time job with the US Air Force in March 2021. It's a different kind of adventure, but I'm still trying to squeeze in some good trips when I can! Most recently I've been exploring Mexico City, Chicago, and New York City.

Anywhere I travel, I'm meeting people at every opportunity. I usually travel solo for that reason - you have no bubble to hide inside. Having friends all over the world has expanded my perspective in ways that I never would have expected. I couchsurfed with a wonderful lady in Portland who said that the most effective peacekeeping forces in the world are the people who travel and make friends in different cultures, because you would never want to go to war against people that you know and understand and love.

I can appreciate a lot of very different experiences. I'm equally happy going out and partying all night, admiring art, exploring the city, or hanging out and talking about culture and experiences.

I'm really easy-going and open minded. I pride myself on being able to survive in extremely uncomfortable situations. I'm naturally pretty social - little bit awkward but I try.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is always the highlight of my trips because the best thing about any country is its people (second is food!). I want to experience the culture and how people live, not just see the tourist sights. I want the bad and the good. I want to see what your country does better than mine and vice versa. I wanna know about your politics and what you care about and what you worry about.

Everyone on CS always says they're on here to meet people and experience other cultures. Maybe it's cliche but it's a good cliche. This is a great community of people and I've only had good experiences so far, and I hope that other people can say the same about me.

Interests

• books
• theater
• photography
• cooking
• beer
• coffee
• motorcycles
• anime
• movies
• music
• hiking
• languages
• cultural immersion
• art
• japan
• space
• computers

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: David Bowie, Cafe Tacuba, Charli XCX, The Chemical Brothers, Neutral Milk Hotel, Phoenix

Books: The Picture of Dorian Grey, Dune, Pedro Paramo, 100 Years of Solitude, The Alchemist

Movies: Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, In the Mood for Love, The Worst Person in the World

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Shared a Japanese onsen with snow monkeys (lots of monkey poop) .

Road tripped around the US while living out of my Civic for 4 months, seeing all the amazing parts of my country that I've always wanted to see.

Almost died in the Great Smoky Mountains on a backpacking trip.

Skydiving a couple times.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a huge history buff, as well as having a big interest in global politics (history in the making!) I could talk about that stuff for hours.

Plenty of crazy travel experiences (ask me about the middle-aged bachelorette party in London)

Science and engineering stuff if you have any interest in that.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversation around a few beers sharing travel stories. Book, music, and food recommendations. I'm also a mediocre but ambitious cook.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Singapore, United States