Hey y'all! My name is Sami and my boyfriend Ruben and I are from Dallas, TX! I am a Physical Therapist Assistant and Ruben is a Massage Therapist and we are in a constant state of wanderlust. Ruben and I met while teaching Martial Arts and bonded over our love for traveling. I have traveled all over the U.S. and world for TaeKwonDo tournaments and Ruben has lived in China as an au pair.
We are Couchsurfing newbies, but can't wait to see what it's like as guests and as hosts. Ruben and I are very laid back people who enjoy going with the flow and learning about new cultures, and of course trying new FOOD! We are foodies at heart and will try almost anything. We are both music lovers as well, so if there is a cool karaoke joint near your place, point me in that direction!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Ruben and I don't believe in traveling and getting on a tour bus, getting off to take a picture, getting back on, heading to the next hyped-up tourist attraction and repeat. We are here to truly experience what it is to live like locals. Don't get me wrong, I like to see everything, but we don't want the "tourist" version. We want to eat, drink, sleep, commute, and so on, like we've been living there our whole lives.

Interests

• theater
• music festivals
• walking
• movies
• video games
• live music
• karaoke
• hiking
• camping
• martial arts
• healthy eating
• eating food
• site seeing

Music, Movies, and Books

Ruben and I listen to a pretty broad range of music. We will listen to anything from electronic dance music to classic rock. If I had to choose my favorite, it would be rock from the 1960's-80's, and Ruben enjoys heavy metal. We are pretty big nerds as well. I enjoy reading fantasy books (I probably know more about Harry Potter than I do about American History), singing karaoke, and Ruben enjoys working on computers and listening to live music. One thing (out of many) that we both enjoy together is living a healthy lifestyle.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One amazing thing I've done is that I've had the opportunity to compete at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials for TaeKwonDo. I was one out of 10 women that were qualified to compete for the Beijing Olympics that year, but unfortunately the stars did not align for me that day.
Ruben has spent 6 months in Beijing, China as an au pair living with a Chinese family and teaching their son English and American Culture. This experience inspired him to become certified in Teaching English as a Second Language.

Teach, Learn, Share

While Ruben is already TESL certified, I would also like to become certified so we can travel back to China (or any other country!) to teach English to children and adults. We have also been martial artists our whole lives, so if you need any help regarding self-defense or just want to learn how to throw a wicked kick, we are here to help!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, China, France, Germany, Mexico, Puerto Rico

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Germany, United States