CURRENT MISSION

To experience as many new cultures as possible and dance Salsa with people from all over the globe

Para conocer la mayor cantidad de nuevas culturas como sea posible y bailar Salsa con gente de todo el mundo

ABOUT ME

Growing up in San Jose, California, also known as Silicon Valley, is very culturally rich as it is one of the most diverse places on Earth which I myself am a respresentative not only geographically, but also since I am of Mexican, Japanese and Czech nationalities. I feel that I have a cultural senstitivity very distinct since I grew up around my diverse family.

Creciendo en San José, California, también conocido como el Silicon Valley, es muy rica culturalmente, ya que es uno de los más diversos lugares del Mundo que yo mismo soy un representante no sólo geográficamente, sino también ya que soy de México, japonés y checo nacionalidades. Siento que tengo una sensibilidad cultural muy distinta ya que crecí alrededor de mi familia diversa.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

When I have surfed couches I always take into account what my hosts are involved with and what they offer me to participate in-sometimes or many times they have personal obligations such as work or relationships which I of course respect. I have been invited to a church function, an outdoor reggae ska concert, a hike to a remote beach or just dinner with the grandparents. Each time I regard it as an opportunity to get to know other people in a profound and intimate manner not as some have described some couch surfers as just wanting a free place to crash. I also share my Californian, American, Mexican-mixed heritage background with others and help others to learn the languages I know or just to teach the dancing I do such as salsa or bachata or to prepare and cook a meal together. CS is truly an amazing tool and system that brings different cultures and people together that might never have such an opportunity.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have surfed with families, professionals, students, couples and people from different cultures.....not always from CS as when I stayed in Oxford with former college friends, but officially it does not count as a CS experience.

Interests

I love dancing, hiking, cooking ethnic and healthy food, exercising, watching independent and foreign films, reading books about world history with an emphasis on Chicano, Latin American and American Indian cultures, building communities through working with and empowering youth, challenging myself, and learning new things.

• books
• concerts
• dancing
• bachata
• dining
• cooking
• exercise
• movies
• reading
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• history
• languages
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

System of a Down, Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, Marvin Gaye,
Lauryn Hill, Bob Marley, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Pixes, Cage the Elephant, Outkast, J. Cole, Miguel, Marc Anthony, Vicente Fernandez, Mana, Shakira, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, El Gran Combo, Fruko y sus Tesoros, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, Boston, Eagles, Fleetwod Mac,The Temptations, Arrested Devlopment, Jagged Edge.

Movies by Oliver Stone, Quinten Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Pedro Almodovar, Alfonso Cuarón, Michael Moore and Steven Speilberg. Movies and Series: Star Wars, Forest Gump, Matrix

Books: Open Veins of Latin America, Bless Me Ultima, The Habsburgs, The Power of Babel and the Bible.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiking Yosemite Half Dome as it was the most physically and mentally challenging experience in my life-I was sore for weeks. Seeing the Grand Canyon, but I did not have time to hike to the basin which will be one of my next experiences. Or the time I came back from an overnight Dublin ferry and I got to London at the break of dawn in which I saw the sun come up over Buckingham Palace!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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