CURRENT MISSION

To do the Honolulu Marathon again ... someday.

ABOUT ME

Well, I've been back in New Jersey since August 2020 after three stints in Japan teaching English and two in France and getting my Master's in the United Kingdom. When I'm ready to welcome guests, I'm eager to show visitors my little corner of the world.

PHILOSOPHY

All the freaky people make the beauty of the world

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I often hosted guests in Japan.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Since joining CouchSurfing, I've hosted 93 guests (37 solo travelers, eight couples, nine pairs, two trios, two quartets of friends, two sisters traveling together, a brother and a sister traveling together and a family of four) through the site. I have surfed seven couches - Shailee in Seoul (March 2010), Jun and Sayaka in Fukuoka (May 2010), Donna in London (November 2013), Tania in Leeds (May 2017), David in Newcastle, New South Wales (February 2018), Yotaro in Kobe (April 2019), Motoko in Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture (April/May 2019), Tomoka in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture (October 2023) and Hayato in Saitama Prefecture (October 2023). I've done some informal and random couchsurfing before, especially in France.

My favorite CouchSurfing experience was during my second visit to Thailand. I sat next to a dude on the ferry ride to Ko Samet who seemed friendly, so I decided to start a conversation with him. Pop (the dude) turned out to be really cool, and I ended up staying in a bungalow with him and his friends that night.

Now that I think of it, that experience was more CouchSharing than CouchSurfing. But it was a lot of fun!

Interests

Traveling, reading, running (I have completed several half marathons and run 42.195 km three times), writing, football (the one played by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, etc.), listening to music, amateur photography, cycling (how I usually get around in Japan), hiking (mountains other than Fuji), attending concerts, chilling on the beach, delicious vegetarian food, taiko (太鼓)

• writing
• photography
• beauty
• vegetarian
• marathon
• running
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• live music
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• soccer
• solo travel
• beaches
• mountains
• vegetarian food

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: I don't watch too many movies but Ghostbusters is my favorite.

Music: I enjoy listening to, among others, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Funkadelic, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Sade, and Les Nubians.

Books: I should read more but I love Lonely Planet guides. Regarding favorite books, I enjoy On the Road and Black Like Me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I don't think it's happened yet. But maybe, it will happen tomorrow.

Now that I think of it, completing the 2010 Tokyo Marathon (in 3:28.16) was my proudest accomplishment.

Teach, Learn, Share

If you'd like help about learning French (la plus belle langue au monde), I'm more than willing to help. Also, I love running, so if you're up for a jog, that would be great.

I would love to learn how to play the didgeridoo, speak Portuguese and Japanese (despite having spent a lot of time in Japan, my grasp of the language still sucks), and more Francophone rap (I love MC Solaar but his music was old even when I was living in France).

What I Can Share with Hosts

A good time!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Japan, United Kingdom, United States