CURRENT MISSION

To figure out how it works and why it is beautiful.

ABOUT ME

I enjoy thinking and learning, but that refers more to wine on a rooftop than to sitting in a library. (Not that I don't like libraries, too.) I do a fair amount of writing and have made a few short films and musicals (with a few more projects in the works).

I'm currently living in New York City, working on a PhD on Ancient Greek and Latin literature.

PHILOSOPHY

I love metaphors. And Peter Pan.

I study ancient literature, but I see it more as a means than an end. Like walking down a dusty road and searching among the Syrian olive groves to find the remnants of what was once a bustling Roman metropolis. Getting lost. Being helped by strangers. Pondering.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Cooking, laughing, talking, smiling, philosophizing....

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

It is stepping through a window into another person's life and perspective, and I can't get enough of it.

Interests

I want to discover new worlds, by travelling, reading, seeing movies, and talking to interesting people. I enjoy writing, and have produced some one-act musicals and short films. I also do a lot of dancing (Lindy-Hop, Salsa, Club, Blues, Ballroom, folk dance, anything...), and am always game for cooking dinner or baking a cake.

• arts
• writing
• literature
• dancing
• education
• cooking
• wine
• baking
• walking
• clubbing
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• blues
• equestrian
• camping
• teaching
• physics
• tourism

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to try putting here....

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

While I was in Mongolia, a friend and I decided to go on a 7-day horse trek near Lake Khovsgal. Boarding the train out of the capital, we had already left behind telephones and the internet. From there, our minibus took us ten hours beyond the reach of paved roads, not to mention fresh fruit and green vegetables. A hitched ride in a Jeep got us the rest of the way to Lake Khovsgal, where we left behind most of our belongings at a tent camp and set out on horseback.

The most important thing I left behind, though, was time. I had the impression our guide had never owned a watch in his (very very long) life, and I decided to leave mine behind, just to see what it would feel like. I would wake up in the morning because the sun was too hot on our tent, wash my face in the nearest stream and make tea. We would ride until the sun had passed its high point in the sky, then stop for lunch. As the light became slanting and golden, our guide would make his hands into the shape of a tent and lead us to a suitable spot. Dinner, washing up, and into the tent before it is too dark to tell whether the field spiders are following you in.

I'll never know how long I slept those nights. It was a wonderful feeling.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can offer good tips and stories for the places I have travelled, I suppose. Other than that, I have my classical education and also make an excellent handyman.

I want to learn what you know. I have a soft spot for art, philosophy, physics, and linguistics, but if you have access to a manufacturing plant, I would love to have a peek inside.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, India, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mongolia, Nepal, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Italy, Syrian Arab Republic, United States

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