Hey! I’m Sam. Up until this past fall I lived in Portland, OR, but have since packed up and started traveling around the world. This is something I have wanted to do for years and years and years and so I thought, what better time than now, before I commit myself to a four year university, to explore a bit? I could not be happier with my decision! Although I’ve left Latin America (for now), I’m continuing to practice my spanish skills and plan on starting Italian in the coming months. A little about me..hm.. I am a self-proclaimed tea snob but realistically know very little about tea compared to the real tea snobs of the world, I prefer to drive barefoot, my phone’s voice memos are filled with stream of consciousness rants that I recorded while out and about, and I can recite word for word every line from the movie ‘Grease.’

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Although the hostel life can be exciting and it's a nice place to meet people and have fun, the one-on-one relationship found through staying at a local's home is a unique opportunity to experience a more intimate, chill version of the city.

Interests

• books
• dancing
• politics
• movies
• live music
• hiking
• rock climbing
• history
• film photography
• cooking italian food
• speaking spanish

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favorites include The Red Tent (Diamonte), Please Kill Me: An Uncensored Oral History of Punk (McNeil), Geek Love (Dunn), Song of Solomon (Morrison), One Thousand Years of Solitude (Marquez) and the Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver). But besides those more pretentious ones I've reread the Harry Potter series like 3 times and love Marvel comics.

As far as music goes, I love pretty much everything. I grew up with 1960s and 70s rock 'n' roll, punk, folk, and psychedelic rock—like Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Queen, Zeppelin, the Stones, Joni Mitchell, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Joan Baez, the Mamas and the Papas, the Dolls, Ramones, Sex Pistols, MC5, that kind of hedonistic stuff. Jazz and blues musicians like Etta James, Otis Redding, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, etc. have always been constants for me. Further into the 20th century though I listen to a lot of 90s R&B and hiphop, like OutKast, Mos Def, Dr. Dre, Fugees, 2Pac, MF DOOM, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, A Tribe Called Quest, and Wu-Tang Clan. On the softer side I like indie bands like TV Girl, Sports, Foxygen, Beach House, etc. Classics like Kanye (although him as a person is another story), Frank Ocean, Princess Nokia, Kali Uches, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator, Amy Winehouse, K'NAAN, Black Lips, MGMT, and Warpaint are some other faves.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I helped deliver a baby while volunteering on the US/Mexico border..probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever done.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Honestly a lot of baked goods. Cakes, cookies, scones, I will make us feel like queens and kings at a royal tea party if that’s something you’re into. Besides that I make a mean grilled cheese (think—light browning on the crusts, couple types of cheeses, ham or bacon per preference, etc.)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States