Fully vaccinated!
I'm a wandering fashion designer by trade, and I travel the country running how-to workshops on cosplay. It's a pretty grand job.
Besides that, I'm really into martial arts, cycling, tabletop roleplaying games, comics, anime, and all that good nerd stuff. I recently finished a master's degree in Popular Culture and Ethnic Studies, and I'm I'm traveling around the US working the convention circuit for the summer. Ater that, I'm heading off to SE Asia for a year of traveling this fall.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I travel for work (I run workshops at cosplay conventions where I teach people how to make armor), and find couchsurfing is a vastly more enjoyable way to explore a new place and make friends than crowding into a hotel room.

Interests

Fashion has been a big part of my life for many years, though it's taken a back seat to martial arts and academia in the past few. I'm hoping to start a PhD in 2023, and want to do some high-quality traveling and Living Life before then.

• arts
• design
• fashion
• fitness
• modeling
• clothing
• comics
• anime
• video games
• traveling
• metalworking
• leatherworking
• martial arts
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm very into heavy metal and anime - in terms of books, I'm (against all odds) mostly a non-fiction reader. I tend to gravitate towards economics, cultural theory, and most recently psychology - the various "Why are People Like That" fields.
Also absolutely love video games.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once got into a sword fight on a rooftop in Hong Kong.
I know how incredibly made up that sounds, but it's true! I even have the video to prove it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTQfrTE2YFQ
I also got stranded in Thailand for 5 months, which turned into the five best months of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've got a fair knowledge of martial arts (Karate, BJJ, Muay Thai, Judo, Sambo....) that I'm always willing to teach. I speak a couple of dead Asian languages (literary Chinese and Manchu), which is fairly close to about as esoteric as knowledge gets.
I love discussing the deeper aspects of popular culture - what the popularity of superhero movies, professional wrestling, etc. has to say about the society that consumes and how these texts function as contemporary mythology.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm always happy to share tales from the road; I feel like working outside of the normal institutions of capitalism have given me a unique insight on life and economy.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Cuba, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States

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