CURRENT MISSION

Learn everthing

ABOUT ME

I just started using Couch Surfing--I’ve spent the last 2 years traveling North Africa, Spain and South America doing research for an economic development non-prof. Just arrived back in the U.S. and I’m very excited about moving to Davis, California for the next 4+ years for a Phd program in Economics.

PHILOSOPHY

Try everything and it will probably work out alright. It will at the least be a good story.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I’ve crashed on many-a-sofa while traveling, but have never been part of a real organization. This sounds like a great way to give back and meet people. (Also, my sister has been an avid member since forever and gave me the idea).

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I did an “around-the-world” trip on my gap year before university, and one very cold night in February I get stuck in Lithuania outside of a train station that had been closed from heavy snows. With no hotels or shelter I crawled onto a park bench and waited for the next train (arriving in 36 hours). A few minutes later a mother and her son walked by the train station. They rescued me, dropped me onto their living room sofa, and fried the best sausages I had ever tasted. I am forever grateful.

Interests

Adventures, black coffee, good jokes, bad jokes, red wine, white wine, Garfield comics, economics, NPR radio, Christmas sweaters, playing awkwardly on the piano.

• festivals
• dancing
• wine
• red wine
• white wine
• coffee
• working out
• comics
• traveling
• socializing
• piano
• surfing
• economics

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies--Zoolander, Willow, Team America, The Princess Bride.
Music--Neil Diamond, Mason Jennings, the Walkmen, Talking heads, Rat Pack, Muddy Waters, Ella Fitzgerald.
Books--mostly I read news or academic stuff…proper books I would say anything by Mark Twain or Dumas (best adventures ever).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

For a year I lived in Valencia, Spain and got to see the ‘Las Fallas’ festival. Each barrio takes all year crafting a 10 to 30 meter-tall caricature of something political, religious (or anything, you name it) from plaster and wood. On the last day of the festival, each barrio sets the structure on fire while the drunken and dancing Valencianos cheer.

Teach, Learn, Share

"And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh."

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Paraguay, Spain, United States