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 spent a year studying Chinese in Chongqing, then four years working in Taiwan. Taipei is still my favorite city in the world! In 2016 I took a job in Hangzhou and ended up staying for 6 years. I even met my husband there—through the Hangzhou Couchsurfing community! In 2022, we moved to Dali, Yunnan for a change of scenery and a better climate. Dali is home for now, but we have no idea where the future will take us!

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

I’m too old for touristy traveling—being a stranger in a strange city feels the same everywhere you go. These days, the kind of travel I enjoy most is hanging out with friends who live in the area and living the way they do. Couchsurfing makes it possible to have the connections and friendships that make travel really meaningful!

I also love the Couchsurfing community. I’ve found it one of the best places to make friends who believe in community, sharing, and adding value to the world.

Interessen

Being outdoors! I love hiking, cycling, climbing mountains, swimming, camping, picnics, and city walks. 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

Musik, Filme und Bücher

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

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Spending most of my adult life as an expat, I learned to build the communities I craved. During my 6 years in Hangzhou, 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 meetup group. I also joined other groups, including hiking groups, language exchanges, business networking groups, reading groups, and the Hangzhou couchsurfing group. In March of 2023 I launched a vegan coworking and event space in Dali with three friends, and now I’m developing events and products to bring our community together over shared interests.

Lehren, lernen, teilen

Teach/Learn: I have some fun recipes I like to teach people (my sweet potato chocolate truffles are famous!). I’m also a big kombucha fan and have taught tons of friends to make kombucha. And of course I can teach some English and basic Chinese if you have any questions.

Share: I love to share good food, good walks, good bike rides and fun discoveries with people! Let’s pack a picnic and go exploring together.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

Tea. I never go anywhere without a stash of tea leaves and a travel tea set. If you host me you will most certainly be drinking a few cups with me! 🍵

Since living in Yunnan, I also never travel without a few bags of Yunnanese spiced chili powder. I’ll share some with you and your life will never be the same. 🔥

Länder, die ich besucht habe

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

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

China, Taiwan