Real quick, I'm just starting to learn Spanish, and I haven't used my French in so long it feels wrong to put it as a language I'm fluent in.

If I were a Disney female lead, I would be Jane. I used to say I was Belle, because I too want adventure in the great wide somewhere! Until I realized that once Belle saved the Beast she probably spent the rest of her life in that castle, but Jane, Jane spent her entire life getting out there and doing what she wanted, and then instead of returning home, she spent the rest of her life in the middle of nowhere as the queen of the jungle.

I love to travel, I feel stifled if I'm not able to leave my state at least once a year. My favorite places to travel are outside of the country. I've been to Europe, and China. I hope to someday visit the Middle East, because being able to see the Mirror Mosque has been a dream of mine since I first laid eyes on it in one of my art classes.

I'm a very fun and easy going person. I make friends where ever I go. I love to learn about other cultures and never put mine before another, it's a great big world out there and it would be silly and rude of me to think that it's exactly like my home town.

I actually learn languages just so I can visit that country. I learned French in High School just so I could go to Paris, and I learned Chinese in College so I could go to China.

I kind of like to do things based on the kind of experience it will give me. I became a nurse for that reason. I just want to grow up to be the kind of person that I always wanted to be. I want to travel and see the world, I want to bring back stories to my students, to teach them to think outside of their city, state, country, and show them that other places are only 'strange and foreign' if they make them that way.

I love everyone, and can't understand people that hate others for their race/color/sexual orientation. I think having views like that just limits the kind of amazing people you can meet, or experiences you can have in your life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

An old TA of mine actually recommended this site to me. She's had such amazing experiences on this site, that it seemed like the perfect thing to join. I really hope to visit as many countries, and meet as many people as I can in my life.

Interests

I love art. It drives my soul. Painting, drawing, sculpting, any medium and almost any style, I love to do it. Where ever I go I like to try and see a museum, it's one of the reasons I've been to Europe so many times. I especially love religious imagery, Chinese ink paintings, and Pahari miniature paintings.

Sometimes when I'm in a beautiful place, I whip out my sketch book and start drawing my surroundings. I met a trucker from Whales that way in Venice. We were in the main square and while everyone else was rushing to take photos of the cathedral and move on, I was sitting down and drawing a cool face that was a part of the architecture of the square. I enjoy doing this because sometimes people will strike up a conversation with me, and sometimes when I'm really lucky, a person will notice me, and stop and realize there's more to the place there in than what they think there is, and suddenly they start to see all of the beautiful little intricate details. I think that's magical.

Travelling (Obviously)! I've been to Italy (Rome, and Venice), France (Paris), The Netherlands (Amsterdam to see the Van Gogh museum), England (London to see the David Bowie exhibit in the V&A), Germany (Stuttgart), and China (Qingdao and Xian). I think China may be my favorite place to have stayed. I've lived there for a collective 4.5 months through school, and I am always so happy there. It's one of the few places where I've been welcomed into a community and made to feel at home by complete strangers just because I showed a little respect to their culture and language.

I really like visiting old holy places, they're just so fascinating and beautiful.

Active travel, I really enjoy hiking, I've climbed quite a number of mountains in my life, and I think it would be cool to keep doing that. Nature is amazing, and it's so much fun to get lost in it. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as comfortable in a metropolis getting lost on strange and foreign streets as I am getting lost in a forest. I just think it's really cool when you know that just on the edge of this forest you're in, is a whole giant population of people.

I think it's cool to be able to go out into the country side with people and do silly things. Like pick oranges or cherries!

I love to cook! I think it's one of the most fun things to do! Anyone that lets me flop on your couch for a night or two will not be disappointed in the meal I can prepare for you!

I also like movies, music, shopping, history, and the beach.

OH! OH! And I'm amazing at skating. Roller skating!

• arts
• culture
• books
• architecture
• coloring
• dining
• italian food
• cooking
• breakfast
• fast food
• shopping
• movies
• traveling
• painting
• drawing
• music
• hiking
• rock climbing
• teaching
• history
• languages
• nursing
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite music is alternative rock. If I had to have 4 artists play the soundtrack to my life, My Chemical Romance would play my time in school, The Killers would play the emotional moments in my life (Both uplifting and down trodden), Cold Play would play my love scenes, and David Bowie would just play everything else.

Movies are a little harder. The movie I have probably watched more than any other ever: "Forrest Gump". I also enjoy animated movies, I'm a Disney Child. But I love Studio Ghibli, especially "Kiki's Delivery Service", "Spirited Away", and "Porcco Rosso". "Beauty and the Beast" is my favorite movie topic. Have you seen the 2014 French "Beauty and the Beast"? It's amazing.

I don't know that I have a favorite book. It's probably Dealing with Dragons it's the only book I've ever re-read, although I do have plans to re-read the Harry Potter series. Right now I've been making my way through history books on China.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I lived in China for two months with only a year of Chinese under my belt. If that isn't amazing I don't know what is.

I know it only says one, but this has to do with China! My first time there we did a study tour at the end of the school session, where we went around all of the Shandong Province seeing the sites. The moment that stuck with me and will stay with me for the rest of my life was on top of Taishan. We were all really exhausted and I wasn't in the best of shape climbing up to the top, I was also very discouraged by Chinese tourists who didn't know I could understand all of the mean things they were saying about me as I struggle to the top. They would say there was no way I would make it, I was too fat, too out of breath, if I was having this much trouble at this point how would I make it? But I did. I'm a very determined individual, it's what helped me climb Huashan a year later.

But that's not the point, at the top of that mountain, after I'd showered and changed I went out to do what I do best: Draw my surroundings. While I was drawing people would come up and watch me, I'm used to this, so I just kept going. But when I got up to leave one of the coat rental guys that lives on the mountain asked to see what I'd been drawing. I showed him because why not? Once he was done looking, he asked if I would draw him.

This was the first time someone had every asked me to draw them, it threw me off a little, but I agreed, it would be cool to tell people about later. He gave me a stool and I started to draw, a few of his friends wandered over and watched, they too asked me to draw them. 2 hours later I'd drawn about 6 people, the entire time the first person I drew kept asking if I was comfortable, if I was hungry, if I was thirsty, if I had a place to stay. They tried to put a coat on me after I said I wasn't cold, just because. 2 drawings in they asked me what my name was, and if I was a teacher, I told them that I was a student. And from that point on they called me Peng xuesheng (my name in Chinese and student).

Now if you don't know that much about Chinese culture, let me tell you why that was such a big deal. In Chinese culture titles are a big deal, it puts you in a group and groups are very important. Now, student isn't necessarily the best title, it's not terrible or anything, it was more the fact that I was a foreigner but they weren't treating me like one was amazing. It was probably the best experience I've had to date.

I've been a lot of places, and I've never felt so included by a group of complete strangers in my life. I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't already had a hotel room with my classmates, I would have been invited to stay with one of them.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm not entirely sure what to put here. I'm not sure what it's for. Please give me a bit to figure it out 8)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Fun times and good stories! I'm always quick to have a fun story about something I've done in the past.

I can cook! Cuban food, Italian food, Texmex, food from the American South, soups, chili, breakfast foods, baked goods, and an attempt at Asian food. I'm just not very good at frying things... )8

I can make you a fun work of art!

I can help a host with their English if that's what they're looking for.

Or I can be a good companion if there's a place you've always wanted to go near you, but just haven't found someone to go with.

I'm not very shy, and pretty fearless. I'm up for lots of things.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands

Countries I’ve Lived In

China