Hi, I'm Arlene, I'm a Filipino-Chinese living in Manila. I love traveling and exploring new places which always leads me to getting lost so many times. But I always believe that that is part of the journey.

I love to eat and i'm always open to trying new things (except bugs).

I used to be a corporate lackey but recently quit my job to get in touch with my "ancestral roots" and study Mandarin in China.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing because i'm interested in meeting new people and learning about different cultures.

Interests

• reading
• traveling
• eating out
• exploring

Music, Movies, and Books

I have too many favorite books but here are some that I can recall: Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Becoming, When Breath Becomes Air, Silence, Man's Search for Meaning, It Ends with Us, And Then There was None.

For Movies, I usually watch Blockbuster movies like Avengers, the Marvel movies or the movies in Netflix (recently watched Always be My Maybe). I love watching TV shows more such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Big Bang Theory, DC Shows, Madam Secretary, and Korean Dramas.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

First time I tried scuba diving, there was a typhoon. Hiked 17 km in the Vietnam countryside and only found out that fact when I was there already so I had no choice but to do it. Biked the entire Huan Dao road in Xiamen.

Not sure if these count as amazing but loved these memories.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English, basic mandarin, and Tagalog. I'm also well-read in a lot of issues. I cannot cook though even if it's to save my life. But I know a lot of the good restaurants in Manila.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Culture exchange or if you need an English language partner.

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Philippines