Current third year sociology student at Pomona College! I was born in a small town in southern China, grew up mostly around the Los Angeles county area in ethnic enclave suburbs, and hope to end up living in Taiwan for a bit after graduation.

I spent the past half-year doing research and NGO work in Beijing and worked in guesthouses and farms around Seoul, Kyoto, Tokyo, Yugawara, and Taipei. I'm excited by people and places and want to try living as many different lives as I can ~

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When you go to a small liberal arts college with only 1600 other students, it's nice to be able to reach out of the bubble a little bit and get to know real people :)

Interests

I do a lot of film photography and had the chance to work in darkrooms for a bit! Right now, I'm curious about ideas of home and homecoming and how people choose to represent their lives to themselves. I'd really like to start working on a photo-book to publish before the end of the year!

For my research last summer, I had the chance to interview a few gay/queer-identifying people living as "drifters" in Beijing and learn more about their experiences dealing with work and intimacy in China's social, cultural, and political capital. I care about issues related to migration and want to know more about what drives people to move and how they make meaning in their lives.

• arts
• photography
• anthropology
• sociology
• film photography

Music, Movies, and Books

Right now, I'm really excited to learn more about Taiwanese films. My to-watch directors right now are Tsai Ming-Liang, Ang Lee, Edward Yang, and Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

Book-wise, I've recently read a bit of Yukio Mishima's books and discovered the teen angst coming-of-age author I wish I had in high school.

For music, I listen to a lot of different things (but I guess everyone does)! Long-time favorite artists have been Blood Orange/Devonté Hynes, Joyce Manor, Mitski, etc. etc. Had a bit of a Smiths phase early on in college, dabbled with My Chemical Romance a bit during the rough patches, now moving into melodramatic mando-pop and Taiwanese indie/folk!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My go-to answer for this sort of question since high school has been "licking my elbow." I was hoping I'd be able to top that after going into college, but it seems like I might've peaked.

Teach, Learn, Share

I don't know much about concrete skills I can exchange, but I love good conversation! I can do a bit of graphic design and digital/analog photography, but so can every 20-something year old in this economy.

If anyone could teach me to whistle though, my middle-school self would be forever indebted.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I don't know yet! Let's talk about it :)

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan

Countries I’ve Lived In

China