CURRENT MISSION

Capturing the world in words and photos!

ABOUT ME

Thantcyn: I was born in Rangoon, Burma, and immigrated to the US at the age of seven. I learned English, art, and poetry from reading Marvel comics, Saturday morning cartoons, and staring out of windows on lonely, humid, summer afternoons. Formal education was lost on me, as I wandered for several years, daydreaming in various classrooms, and EVENTUALLY escaping with a BS in Education, from University of Houston. I lucked-in on my super-duper wife Courtney, defender of misunderstood creatures, during those meandering years, and we've been frolicking around the multiverse ever since...

Courtney: I really enjoy meeting new people and making good friends all over the world. I am easy going and appreciate the simple little things in life. I love animals, historic places, pretty sceneries, everyday places and people, and lounging in small quaint cafes. One thing I really need to mention is I have some food allergies. I can't eat meat, wheat flour, or msg. Some of the more common foods I can't eat are: pasta, bread, soda, wheat thickend soups and sauces, soy sauce, and meat dishes. I CAN have fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, eggs, most Indian foods, coffee/ tea, and Chinese foods not containing msg or soy sauce. I might need your help translating at a grocery store or restaurant to pick a safe thing to eat. I'm really not picky - I don't care what the food tastes like as long as it doesn't kill me. ;)

PHILOSOPHY

"Live to the point of tears!" -Camus

"Do one thing every day that scares you." -E. Roosevelt

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." -Bruce Lee

"I do not intend to tiptoe through life, only to arrive safely at death."

"Be the change that you want to see in the world." -M. Gandhi

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." -D. Thomas

"It is our choices... that show what we truely are, far more than our abilities." -JK Rowling

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." -MLK Jr.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Contact us and we'll pump you full of caffine and run you around town!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We've had awesome experiences couchsurfing in the UK, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. Our couchsurfing hosts have been wonderful with us, and taught us many beautiful and startling things about their cultures and histories. We also happened upon many fellow couchsurfers in our travels, and had riveting adventures, exploring the nooks and crannies of distant lands together. We love meeting fellow travelers, and are always in the process of turning wayward vegabonds into couchsurfers...

Interests

Thantcyn: In ABC order: Comics, Cooking, Drawing, Hiking/ Trail Running, Krav Maga, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai Kickboxing, No-gi Ju-jitsu, Painting, Poetry, Traveling, Treasure Hunting, and Vinyasa Flow/ Power Yoga.

Courtney: Traveling to as many places as possible, Dancing, Brazilian Ju-jitsu, Photography, Collecting Antique Photos, Yoga, Health Food Stores, Quirky Stuff, Fluffy Bats, Interesting People, Cultures & Languages,& Wheat-free Vegetarian Cuisine from Around the World.

• animals
• arts
• literature
• poetry
• folklore
• photography
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• chinese food
• indian food
• coffee
• vegetarian
• yoga
• running
• shopping
• comics
• cartoons
• reading
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• hiking
• camping
• hunting
• trail running
• martial arts
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Thantcyn: I'm a HUGE movie buff. I'm totally into dialogue-driven films, but enjoy an occasional mindless muscle-bound slugfest! Here are my top 5 (for now): Casablanca, The Remains of the Day, Pulp Fiction, Gladiator, and Snatch. I love to read poetry, and sci-fi/ fantasy novels. My favorite poets are: TS Eliot, Li-Young Lee, Pablo Neruda, and EA Poe. My favorite novels are: JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings series, George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, and JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. I listen to anything that moves me. I don't favor a particular genre when it comes to music. I do hate degrading rap, and really don't consider it music or art. WORD!

Courtney: Thantcyn and I pretty much like the same kinds of books and movies. Some of my favorite movies that he hasn't mentioned are: Pan's Labyrinth, Shall We Dance (Japanese Version), Monster's Inc., Leon the Professional, Harry Potter, Braveheart, and Moulin Rouge. I love Twilight, Harry Potter and George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. As far as music goes I like everything except heavy metal. I even secretly like gangsta rap which really irritates my husband.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Thantcyn: I've been all over Burma: soaring over its jungles in silver propeller cargo planes, skuttling along the Irrawaddy's spine in crude single-engine boats, chugging past viper-rich paddies in trains, and worshiping in pagodas shrouded in vegetation and vapor. I have lived as a Buddhist monk, shaved head and all, twice in my life, for about a month each time. It is more in keeping with Buddhist family tradition, rather then me being religious. I have also been in kickboxing matches, and have been featured in several poetry readings, and art exhibitions. I have also taught some amazing kids from all over the world with my wonderful wife. However, all these things pale in comparison to the day I squeezed my universe into a ball and told Courtney, how much I "really liked" her. We were huddled in a stall in the fourth floor of the UH library. That moment defined the rest of my life.

Joint Adventures: We've been on a "ghost-hunt" in Jefferson, the most haunted town in Texas. We happened upon a paranormal conference while on a road-trip there, and all the "ghost-busters" took a liking to us, so they invited us to all their ghost-hunts, complete with professors, FBI psychics, and all their ghost-trekkin' gears. We staked-out a former mortuary, turned coffee-shop, and an old Civil War Cemetery. It was SUPER SCARY for the first 10 minutes, then got really boring and silly for the next 4 hours! We saw abunch of little orbs on our digital cameras, but unfortunately nothing unsettling to lose sleep over.

Teach, Learn, Share

Thantcyn: I have been studying various forms of reality-based and traditional martial arts for 25 years, and will be happy to give you a crash-course in effective self defense, to help keep you safe in your travels. I am also an artist and poet, and love to share my poetry, or discuss anything about art and literature in general. I'm also really into yoga, for "resetting" yourself physically and spiritually, and would love to "salute the sun" with you:) I have very recently developed a love for cooking, and can fix up some interesting yummy spicy Burmese fusion stews and stir-fries!

Courtney: I have studied Krav Maga for 3 years and can help give a women's perspective on self defense and personal protection. I love languages and will be happy to help any couchsurfing friend learn some useful conversational English phrases. I might need your help learning some phrases in your native language as well. :) Another thing I absolutely love to share with others is photography. I know all about old school dark room developing - a dying art in this digital world. I do enjoy using a digital camera when I travel and can give you some pointers on framing shots to document your couchsurfing adventures better!

Both of us are English teachers, specializing in teaching English as a second language (ESL), so we can also give you a mini 'boot-camp' in English.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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