CURRENT MISSION

To understand Chinese menus and street signs. And to find quality coffee.

ABOUT ME

Hello. My name is Amy Abigail Ester Van Gundy. I believe my name is too fabulous to NOT result in me being an author. I occasionally sign my name A.A.E. Van Gundy just for future practice. I am tall-ish and big-ish with long curly hair. I like to raise my eyebrows at things. I have been described as the "perfect combination of kindness and ornery-ness" by a reliable source. So I'm not sweetness and light.
I am currently teaching English at a university in China. I'm an English teacher by profession. Or at least plan to be for 10 years or so. I like living overseas, seeing daily life in a different context, learning new languages, gaining pespective on the world. I'm originally from California. I believe in avocados, green salad, sourdough bread, Ranch dressing, good coffee, and Half and Half.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am new to CouchSurfers though I have friends who sing its praises. Unfortunately I cannot host as I have no couch to offer, but am up for coffee/meal meetings. I am hoping to couch surf and meet some interesting people around China.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Since starting with CS just a few months ago, I've had several excellent experiences. My first CS event was a weekend trip with several other CSers. It was fabulous. We then reunited with some of them for a Thanksgiving dinner and then were hosted by one of them when we visited Macau. In Macau I met another lovely CSers through my friend and we met her in Hong Kong the next weekend. All in all I have been so impressed with the people who are involved in CouchSurfing--truly excellent, engaging, hospitable, friendly people!

Interests

Oh. Reading. Languages. Good food. Coffee. Yes, coffee is very important. Music. Gardening.

• writing
• singing
• dining
• wine
• coffee
• drinking
• gardening
• reading
• music
• teaching
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

After spending like 20 minutes writing in this section, it froze when I tried to save. Fabulous.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Participating in Georgian (the country!) tranditional supras, complete with drinking from horns and knocking back endless glasses of homemade village wine!
2. Istanbul, next to the Hagia Sophia, drinking espresso and eating Turkish Delight
3. Budapest, in 2004, on St Stephens Day when we got caught in a flash flood along the Danube River!
4. Strolling the Bund in Shanghai
5. Visiting The Kilns in Oxford, the home of C.S. Lewis.

Countries I’ve Visited

Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Philippines, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Dominican Republic, Georgia, United Kingdom