CURRENT MISSION

live the life I want, with no regrets

ABOUT ME

I have a couple of months before I have to go to South Korea to serve in the armed forces (Korean, not US). It will be two years, and I felt my window of opportunity to travel (and do some other bucket list things) was narrowing before other obligations take over my life :)

So here I am, after traveling Southeast Asia, then speed-crossing/jetting China and Russia (don't read too much into this) to Israel and then Europe. I have a few months left, and I'm thinking about trying to learn a language I always wanted to try out. In the meantime, it would be fun to couch surf as well, who knows its a novel way of meeting new people and what's the worst that can happen?

Funny thing about traveling (and I'll admit, this year is not my first traveling although i'm no veteran or anything) is that a lot of times, people from the same country act the same way. It kind of puts a damper on the theory that we are all unique individuals.

I'm a little amused and slightly sad that national stereotypes cloud me and other travelers as well as locals will view each other. i find it hilarious that it is possible that instead of being precious unique "snowflakes" we might just be dumb herd animals all the same, imagining that we are different. lol

Just look at how Americans greet strangers (hand-shake), Asians (ugh hate using that geographically meaningless word) pose for pictures (i do the victory as well that's right), southern Europeans greet (with a kiss). like every single one of them.

the one thing i hope is that i am self-aware. flawed, yes, but hopefully awake, not in a bubble. Yes, i'm off on a tangent, but if you like this kind of talk, well we should talk :) in your house lol

PHILOSOPHY

Pursue the life I want (not what society, friends, family want), with no regrets.

Sounds obvious, but was/is still hard to act on.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

after my first couchsurf, I will be able to answer this better.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

have never couchsurfed yet. made an account years ago, but was too scared (what if I don't like the host, etc) to try out.

since then, i realized that i'd gone through many a new or potentially uncomfortable situation, and id survived, regardless of the result. this only makes me feel a slight ache and itch for the things that i was curious about and could have tried before but now its too late to do.

time wasted. have an itch to try out couch surfing now ;)

Interests

History, past and present 000000???-06.06.14 (the story of what we human beings have done. i was hooked to travel just from reading history). Meaning of Life. Religion (as my life has been invested in this, am quite interested in hearing religious/non-religious opinions on spirituality or lack thereof.) It may be deep stuff, but I like to muse on these topics to relax, just for fun, like a hobby before other obligations take over.

ah, one more thing. i remember four years ago, i read up some legendary CS ambassador or something who was in Berlin and he would entertain guests with a game of risk. Haven't played that game for years, but that sounds awesome. playing that in a foreign city with a foreigner(s)? im down

• animals
• books
• reading
• traveling
• surfing
• emergency services
• history
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

I like movies, but grew up without listening to music and honestly have never heard anything that really blew me away (I guess you can try).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Falling in love. Witnessing collapse of govt. authority in Cairo, Egypt in 2010. Fearing for my life when the local mall and police station were attacked and destroyed. Fasting for forty days on water. My life is not particularly adventurous but some things I have seen and done are worth remembering.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach what it feels to be an East Asian (one of the 2 billion+ who can teach you this :) , or to be Korean, not having a place to call "home". on a more serious note, I can share a bit about healthy nutrition which I gained after years of effort.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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