CURRENT MISSION

I'm presently part of a rather large, ongoing project to meet nice people and eat delicious food with them while hanging out in cool places to discuss interesting ideas

ABOUT ME

My name is Derek. I'm an American, born in New York, raised in North Carolina, married to a Serbian woman (Milena), currently living in Turkiye. I believe in the philosophy of Carpe Diem and making every day count. I believe in Carpe Chocolate, Carpe Milk When You Have Cookies, Carpe Hot Doughnuts, Carpe A Chance to Get Bumped on a Flight. I also believe in Carpe The Next Available Automobile which means I enjoy hitchhiking my way around. I find it's the best way to meet strangers and try to reestablish an old thing that has become very lost in this world.. trust. I'm older than most new travellers but I haven't lost the love of living in different countries, waking up in the morning to different air, different people, different customs, and trying to find my role in it all. I accept others' freedom to believe and discuss whatever philosophies they may have; always trusting that knowledge is a good thing if it's fed by understanding. I have a good, growing family whom I love. We are of Scottish origin, my grandmother and grandfather having come to America in the 1930's. I'm a learner, a wanna-be artist and musician, a communicator and a teacher. I enjoy experimentation in the areas of food and friendship. I have no interest in drugs...not interested in the effects of artificial happiness. I'm not computer or techno savvy and do very little chatting, surfing, or downloading stuff. I'm not up on all the latest websites and uses of the computer. I just keep my ears and eyes to the world that is readily visible to us all and try to make it better. If you want to learn a little bit more about me, you can find me pretty easily on www.facebook.com I think I'm the only Derek Whitefield there:)

PHILOSOPHY

I'm a follower of the principles and the deity of Jesus Christ who said that it is essential to love my neighbor as myself, and love those who don't love you. It's radical ideas like this that could change the world if we believed in its statement of brotherhood and equality. I know that it's not really a popular trend to call yourself a follower of such an established religion as Christianity, one which down through the ages has found ways to corrupt Jesus's teachings and along the way discriminate, segregate and alienate, and even kill in the name of what they thought was right. I'm here to say, this has nothing to do with Jesus. He has been misunderstood by history, misrepresented by many followers, and miscatagorized by people who don't want to deal directly with the question of who he is. In a world constantly seeking answers, I believe he is the only one who can help us with all of them. Jesus said "I have come to give you life, and not only life, but abundant life" Have you ever wondered what that means?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I grew up in a family that hosted international students for about 15 years. I can't begin to tell you how many people from different countries came through our doors over the years! My parents showed us hospitality and tolerance for other people's beliefs and traditions. They also exposed us to a world very different from our own and encourage their children to visit that world and learn about it. So when I got the chance to venture out on my own, I did. At first, I thought a trip to England was culture shock, but I soon realized that there was much more out there to actually be shocked over. In fact, sometimes coming home is the biggest shock. Especially when you come back from a place that has so little, to a place that has so much. When you go from a place where people are scrimping and fighting to get by and then you come back to a country where people are overfed and are seemingly unaware of the world you just came from. THIS is possibly the biggest culture shock. Wouldn't you agree?

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I guess I've always been a couch surfer, but had never heard of the actual sophisticated, internet-based mode of doing it until i met a Swedish guy on a train who told me all about this website. The technique i'd always used was just to meet someone when I came into a town, hang out, talk, and ask "Hey, is there an incredibly cheap place to stay in this town?" They'd say something like, "How cheap?" and I'd say something like, "It doesn't matter where I sleep really. I could sleep on a floor.. I just need a roof over my head." Then they'd maybe say something like "I have a roof you can sleep under if it's ok with you." Great! Problem solved, deal is struck, and friendship and trust are established. Now if they ever need a place to stay, they have one. We can call it 'Tanri misafir' in Turkish, it just means God's guest. You show up in a place with no place to stay, no reservations and no big demands and someone takes you in. I like living in that kinda world. And if that's the kinda world that couchsurfing.com is about, I'm in:)One thing that I've noticed among CSers who have messaged me and visited us is that they often just want a free place to stay, it's like the EMPHASIS of why they're CSing. But to me the essence of it is the exchange, sharing of ideas and the best way to do that is by being in someone's home and staying with them. But the confusion is that CSing IS getting a free place, and hopefully if there's time for cultural exchange, that'll happen too. So I'd like to go on record that CSing is not free accomodation for me (let's face it, most of us have enough money somewhere that we can afford a place to stay), but about the unique chances to meet others and gained knowledge that can only be obtained by going, seeng, and doing

Interests

My interests are quite varied. I take particular pleasure in relaxing, while the world works its butt off:) I like feeling like I'm the one who's got it right. Not that I don't have a hard work ethic, but I've always believed that hard work should be rewarded with rest and time to gather your strength. Why do so many people believe that relaxing is weakness? That taking time out is for people after they retire...after they have already TIRED themselves to the point of worthlessness? Now for my real interests...I love to read and write poems..read history, the more ancient the better. Love to watch and play sports, more and more into watching as I get older...love dancing, singing karoke, making up songs on my guitar, maybe busking on the street with a friend and a harmonica. love playing board games like taboo and balderdash with large groups of obnoxious people. love to make food and serve it to a big group of people, love doing things spontaneously..love to reminisce...catch up with friends...laugh about old stories and make new ones.

• culture
• poetry
• singing
• perfumes
• dancing
• dining
• chocolate
• board games
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• surfing
• christian
• sports
• teaching
• history
• religion
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Who doesn't like Lord of the Rings?
Who doesn't like a guitar, a microphone, and someone singing good accoustic music which comes from the heart and soul?
Who doesn't like a good adventure story, one in which the main character feels challenged enough to get up from the chair, go out into the world to discover what life is all about. Along the way they meet a cast of amazing people (both good and bad) who teach them life lessons that they can use in the next stage? I love these things, never get tired of it. It's life and it never has to be artificial because there's so much truth to it. ...What do you think?

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When you travel around the world you realize that amazing things are often in the little details. Yes, perhaps standing on a high mountain overlooking an incredible view with the world seemingly at your feet is awe-inspiring. but if your mind isn't tuned right to appreciate the meaning, you might as well be just watching it all happen on National Geographic Channel. By the same token, you may be watching a line of ants crawling up the side of a wall and get the epiphany of a lifetime. Who knows when it's gonna happen, you just have to be ready to receive amazing things because they happen all the time. At the same time i've met people who travel around this incredibly interesting world of ours and have reduced it to a check list of things to see. Once they see them, they move on to the next challenge. For me there can't be anything more boring than this...

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United States

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