Hi!

My name's Brandon. I'm American, hailing from Philadelphia. I live in Taipei and love it here so much. I lived in South Korea for about two and a half years. Even though I'm not there anymore, Korea is near and dear to my heart.

I run the writing program at an academy for international students and have my own bilingual theater company called Code Switch which is dedicated to making theater for all those who call Taiwan home. Last year we put on a full length play I wrote called Love, a/Verse, and this year we are putting together a series of alchemy-related shorts called 'Mute Lab.

I like reading, connecting with people and nature, learning about the deep stuff, and making the most of my time.

instagram.com/brandongergel

If my account is deactivated, you can contact me on the IG ;)

I used to be a host in Seoul and will host again someday. Right now I am living in company housing in Taipei but would still love to meet up and show folks around.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The best memories I have are of the people I met in the places I've gone. I travel to have adventures and see awesome places but also to learn how other people view the world. It's my goal to connect with people and see the world through their eyes. Then, I can incorporate what they show me into how I live my life, and we can both be the better for it. So Couchsurfing is the vehicle for that type of sharing.

Music, Movies, and Books

Some favorite books: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Holographic Universe, The Magus, Midnight's Children, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Dharma Bums, Three Body Problem, Dune saga, number9dream, Ocean at the End of the Lane

Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Franzen, Jeffrey Eugenides, David Mitchell, David Foster Wallace, Haruki Murakami

I'm a singer/songwriter, so happy to jam if circumstances allow.

Some of my favorites: Beatles, Mac Miller, FKJ, Tame Impala, Modest Mouse, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Lumineers, Angus & Julia Stone, Kishi Bashi, alt-j, Beenzino, BTS, Hyukoh, Mac Miller again, etc. etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I walked the sacred Kumano Kodo pilgrimage tech-free. I'd recommend it to anyone. Hard to put into words what an extraordinary experience it was.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can help you with your English

I can also show you how to play a bit of guitar or ukulele

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United States