Marc and Liz Kalina's Photo

Unverified Profile

  • Payment not verified
  • Phone not verified
  • Government ID not verified

Maybe Accepting Guests

  • Last login 2 months ago

Join Couchsurfing to see Marc and Liz’s full profile.

Overview

  • 26 references 23 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in English; learning Lao, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai
  • 38, Other
  • Member since 2011
  • Development Studies Researcher, Consultant, and PhD Student
  • Bachelors from Michigan State , Masters from Chulalongkor...
  • From Novi (Marc) and Marshall (Liz), Michigan USA
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

CURRENT MISSION

To help make Durban a great city to visit.

ABOUT ME

My wife and I moved to Durban in 2011 so I can work on my doctorate at UKZN. We've traveled and lived all over the world and are looking forward to meeting new people. Currently the focus of my work is in Northern Mozambique so I would be glad to advise anyone looking to head up the coast from Durban.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We can host travelers to Durban, particularly those who need to be close to the University, Glenwood, or the Berea. We have been fortunate enough to host quite a few couchsurfers while in Durban!

We are also able to provide whatever type of advice might be helpful on traveling in Southern Africa, particularly KwaZulu-Natal, and Mozambique.

Please note that we are not a hotel and we do not expect to be treated like one. Couchsurfing is a great program that we firmly support, however, having hosted many guests over the years we've learned that surfing does come with some expectations. We tend to accept couchsurfers who appear interesting or entertaining, the kind of people we WANT to hang out with. Our most memorable hosting/surfing experiences have involved activities, nights out, etc and have led to many genuine friendships. Furthermore, the best surfers have found some way to give back, either through helping out, pitching in, or doing something special or thoughtful.

Please no last minute requests.

If none of this appeals to you, and you're just looking for a clean, comfortable, hassle-free room where you can pop in and out with as much or as little human interaction as you'd like than feel free to check out our AirBnb profile at: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1878980

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Mostly positive ones so far. Have hosted in Durban and surfed a few times in South Africa and Mozambique. We have been very lucky to host some very interesting and fun people, as well as staying with extremely generous and welcoming hosts.

Interests

We love to travel! Anywhere and everywhere, pack a bag and go. We mostly stay in hotels, but we are getting more acquainted with couch-surfing as a means of accommodation.

My wife is a wonderful cook, and we also love to entertain in our home often.

We are also passionate beer aficionados and I operate my own homebrewing operation, the Natal Brewing Company, out of our garage. We are always interested in sharing a drink with people who enjoy a good ale. Also, gifts of beer from abroad are always appreciated!

  • cooking
  • beer
  • drinking
  • traveling
  • homebrewing
  • surfing

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

visited 29 states (58%)Create your own visited map of The United States

Teach, Learn, Share

We particularly enjoy hosting professionals working in the region. I am always keen to discuss development and environmental issues.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Barbados, Cambodia, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Singapore, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, U.S., Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Africa, Thailand, United States

Old School Badges

  • 1 Vouch

Join Couchsurfing to see Marc and Liz’s full profile.

My Groups