Hi! My name's Michael and I just finished my first year of college here in the US. I am thinking of double-majoring in neuroscience & history. I was born in Prague and lived there for 17 years--at the end of which I had the chance to finish my high school in Hong Kong (which, without much exaggeration, changed my life). Fast forward two years, I am here.

I strive to be conscious of my actions and I am an engaged environmentalist, feminist, and a volunteer. I love learning new stuff and meeting people, engaging in thoughtful discussions and going to art galleries (among many other things).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As we speak, I'm traveling from New Orleans (where I stayed for about a week) to Houston, and then I'll see what happens next. I'd love to go to Florida and then perhaps make my way back to NOLA.

Rationale (-ish): I am enamored by the Beat culture (though I have few illusions and romantic embellishments about the reality of traveling through the US) and would wish to explore American cities and their cultures. So that's how I wound up here, doing this little trip of mine.

I have to admit: my favorite part of being in a foreign country is getting immersed. The best way of doing that, I believe, is by living with a host and by becoming a part of the culture (as opposed to being a tourist--a distant observer of processed culture).

Interests

Photography (film & digital), Film (and occasionally videography), Drawing, Human rights issues, Poetry, Neuroscience, History, Psychology, Writing, Learning new languages, and a friend of mine just made me interested in cars.

• arts
• culture
• writing
• poetry
• photography
• human rights
• chess
• traveling
• cars
• socializing
• drawing
• magic
• history
• languages
• neuroscience
• psychology
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

There's lots. From Nabokov to H. P. Lovecraft, Yu Hua to M. H. Kingston, Chinua Achebe and Milan Kundera...and I'm currently getting carried away by Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore (by the way, Franz Kafka was born in Prague).

I like alternative and classical music, but I can appreciate most other genres, too. I have a love/hate relationship with Spotify; on one hand it turns people into music snobs in an effort to amass an impressive collection of music that's original to an individual, and on the other hand it makes me explore the strangest and most fascinating musical endeavors! That's for example how I stumbled on "Can," a progressive Krautrock band from the 60s and 70s. I enjoy film soundtracks and video game soundtracks.

In terms of movies, I tend to be picky. As a rule of thumb, I always look at the movie director (and not so much the actors)--I tend to appreciate works by Nolan, Tarantino, Svankmajer, Lars von Trier, Aronofsky, and many others. I used to be into Japanese culture and I still enjoy a healthy dose of anime. Anything by studio Ghibli is very watchable for me. I also like Ghost in the Shell, Shinichiro Watanabe, and some of the more mainstream anime.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have survived for a week in Cambodia on my own, embracing the Khmer language and culture, and back-packing from one place to another.

Truthfully, I believe there are much more impressive things I've done, but they wouldn't sound impressive to someone who doesn't know me. (Just trying to build up some suspense right here haha.)

Teach, Learn, Share

I try to be as open-minded and imaginative as I can be, appreciating traditions and ideas outside of my comfort zone. I have travelled across Europe quite a bit and stayed in a couple of south-east Asian countries. I believe that everything has its positives and negatives and that any sort of interaction can be turned into a learning moment. I hope to learn more about the people I'd stay with, but also share some of my stories and experiences. I have a lot of photos to show and a bunch of cultural realia.

What I Can Share with Hosts

If they desire something from New Orleans, I'd be happy to bring something, though time constraints might not allow me to do that. I can do my best to offer some good company and non-material fun--say, a game of chess? Or is that too material? You tell me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Cambodia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Macao, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic, Hong Kong, United States