CURRENT MISSION

Planning journeys to discover languages and cultures overlooked by many travelers.

ABOUT ME

I am from the city of Irvine in southern California. Most of my working life has been devoted to serving higher education, but I am personally getting more interested in medicine. I am an intensive listener of music and devotee of film, but I haven't seen or heard much new nowadays. I'm certified to be a first responder to medical emergencies in wilderness areas, love hiking, and learning about new foods and cooking techniques. Most of my travels overseas have been in the former Soviet Union (Caucasus and Central Asia).

PHILOSOPHY

Let it all go and enjoy our lives with confidence and passion.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Preparing for my future trip to Afghanistan by learning Pashto. I try to give my hosts and companions an enjoyable time. If you're really lucky, you'll see me dance well.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Walking on a ceiling under the stars while eating date cookies and chatting about Israeli settlements (a village near Bethlehem), drunkenly burning my clothes and glasses in Georgia (Borjomi).

Adventures with Turkish high school teachers. Speaking forbidden languages.

Interests

I am pretty good at MacGyvering meals. If you haven't heard that term before, just imagine making a full Thanksgiving dinner with what is available in a typical Russian supermarket.

• arabic
• russian
• persian
• turkish

Music, Movies, and Books

Directors: I can't say enough good about Majidi Majidi and Abbas Kiarostami from Iran. I've watched almost everything David Lynch has directed and enjoyed it all.

I like quirky, aggressive dance music (klezmer, Caucasian lezginkas, Levantine dabkes).

Authors: David Graeber, Mark Ames do a good job at explaining our modern world.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiking into the Turkmen desert after some brandy shots, getting lost, and finally leaving the desert after 16 hours of mindless hiking.

Reducing Jordanian crime rates.

Teach, Learn, Share

How to learn languages, cook food, or get somewhere with the bare minimum.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Travel tips for all over Central Asia. Food and beers. A good time.

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Palestine, Serbia, Sweden, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, Jordan, Russian Federation, South Korea, Tajikistan, United States

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