Hi, I'm Carrie! I'm from the west coast of Canada, but ever since I had my first taste of living abroad in 2010, I've spent most of my time in Asia. I studied in Chongqing during university, then moved to Taiwan after graduating. I fell madly in love with Taipei and thought I could never leave, but after a few years I wanted to explore more career opportunities. In 2016 I got an offer in Hangzhou and decided to give it a try. The job didn’t work out, but Hangzhou turned out to be a great fit for me and I stayed for 6 years. I even met my husband there (through the Hangzhou Couchsurfing community!). In 2022, depressed by the COVID situation, we moved to Dali, Yunnan and are still based there, but we are currently looking into potentially moving to another country. We plan to spend 2024 traveling and living in different places to see if we find one that feels like it could be our new home!

I am self-employed and work remotely as a freelance translator, copywriter/editor, and MBA admission consultant.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Whether I'm traveling, living abroad, or back in my hometown, I've found the couchsurfing community to be the best place to make friends.

Couchsurfing is the best way to meet people who believe in community, sharing, and adding value to the world.

By being generous and open, we make the world a better place. The more we give away, the more we have.

Interests

I love hiking, cycling, climbing mountains, swimming, camping, picnics, natural hot springs, and taking long walks. When I travel, I love to wander around residential neighbourhoods, visit local parks, and experience local life. I enjoy a good museum, art exhibition, live band or interesting performance, but I don't like crowds and noise. I avoid tourist attractions, bars, nightclubs, noisy restaurants, and busy shopping centres. My ideal travel experience is a bike ride and a picnic!

• books
• literature
• sketching
• cooking
• vegan
• fitness
• exercise
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• drawing
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• buddhist
• swimming
• freelancing
• volunteering
• mountains
• tea
• weightlifting
• vegan cooking
• nature walks
• freelance

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to hours of podcasts daily and try to read a couple of books a month.

Books: I love narrative non-fiction. My favorite authors are Jon Vaillant and Erik Larson.

Podcasts: Mind Pump, Planet Money, Stuff You Should Know, Uncomfortable Conversations, the Sinica Podcast, Modern Wisdom, the Economist, the Huberman Lab, the High-Income Business Writing Podcast, Side Hustle School, Being Freelance

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I arrived in Hangzhou in 2016, I had been moving from place to place and working from my laptop for too many years. I craved community, but couldn't find one that fit me, so I started creating groups and hosting meetups of my own. I started a vegan community, a freelancer community, an urban sketching group, a "no bars" meetup group for any kind of indoor or outdoor meetup that was not in a bar (why do expats always have to meet in bars?!), and a zero waste community for people trying to live eco-friendly lives in Hangzhou. I also joined other groups, including hiking groups, language exchanges, business networking groups, reading groups, and the Hangzhou couchsurfing group. Through all of these groups, I learned so much about the importance of community and met so many good people - including my husband!

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to meet couchsurfers who can introduce me to communities with shared goals and interests. If you are involved in sustainability, veganism, urban sketching, hiking, or cycle touring communities, hook me up! I’m also looking for opportunities to learn farming, building, and homesteading (some practical skills that won’t be taken over by ChatGPT). If you have a farm or garden and need a volunteer, let’s chat.

What I Can Share with Hosts

DIY knowledge. I love making things people usually buy, like yogurt, kimchi sauerkraut, pickles, jam, peanut butter, and coconut milk. I can teach you how!

中文。我2007年开始学中文，已经很流利了，在对外汉语学校工作过，你如果对中文感兴趣的话我可以教你一点简单的中文！English is my native language, but these days I use Chinese more than English and am experienced enough to teach some basic conversational Chinese.

Tea. I never go anywhere without tea. If you host me you will most certainly be drinking a few cups with me!

Countries I’ve Visited

China, England, France, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Taiwan