Hey y'all! My name is Corley and I've been living in China teaching English for about 2 years. I'm originally from Texas but since I was 18 I've lived in College Park, MD, Brooklyn and Manhattan in NYC, Barcelona Spain, Guiyang, Guizhou, China and now I'm living in Zhuhai. I moved to Zhuhai four months ago for a new job teaching English at a local preschool very near to my current home. I'm a yoga enthusiast! I spent a month in India earlier this year to receive my 200-hour TTC - a really magical and life-changing experience for me. I also am a Zumba teacher at my school here. I'm a huge fan of music - I sing for a band in Zhuhai and there will always be music playing around my house. I received my B.A. in journalism but have found that my passion lies in teaching, especially teaching English to Chinese students. I still write for fun to keep track of my experiences being a foreigner living in China. I consider myself extremely laid back, fun-loving, and I pride myself on hosting - be ready for homemade treats and delicious wine!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I was thrilled when I moved to Zhuhai to find that my new job offered the opportunity for accommodations of a much higher standard than my last housing! I have a beautiful apartment with three bedrooms and two bathrooms and I live by myself, so why not share? I also look forward to convenient and affordable housing for when I'm traveling on my own. I think it's so much better to hang out with a local in a new place rather than be struggling on your own while traveling. I'm always eager to meet new people and try new things, keeps life interesting.

Interests

yoga, dancing, playing piano, singing, red wine, mangoes, Mexican food, live music, hiking, sunshine, reading books, paddle boarding, exploring nature, healthy cooking, healthy living in general (but only in good balance with fun!), sociology, Chinese language and culture, meditation

• culture
• books
• singing
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• red wine
• mexican food
• yoga
• meditation
• zumba
• reading
• traveling
• music
• live music
• piano
• hiking
• track and field
• teaching
• journalism
• medicine
• sociology

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Books - Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Shadow of the Wind, anything by Malcolm Gladwell, Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, The Freakonomics books -

Love all kinds of music, here's some of my favorites off the top of my head - Tenacious D, Avett Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, John Butler Trio, Ed Sheeran, Rodrigo and Gabriela, Linsdey Sterling, ZZ Top, Radiohead, Ben Harper, Ben Folds Five, Joe Bonamassa, Janis Joplin, Dolly Pardon

Movies - Dazed and Confused, Shawshank Redemption, big fan of documentaries, Forrest Gump, Silver Linings Playbook, Little Miss Sunshine, Grandma's Boy,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Probably the most amazing thing I've done was come to China. My first job was in Guiyang, China, the capital of the poorest province in China. I had hit a bit of a rut in my life and was ready to take a new leap, so I applied for the job there (knowing almost nothing about China!) and went for it. I moved to a city where no one spoke any English (and goodness knows I didn't speak any Chinese!), there were no forks or knives at any restaurants, every toilet was a hole in the ground that you would squat over, there was no central heating, the place was absolutely filthy and contained more culture in one mile square than anywhere I'd ever seen in America. It was a complete contrast to my own world, culture shock to the maximum, and I grew more in this place as I person in one year than all the other years of my life combined. Sometimes I became exhausted with the constant revelations and new takes on life! It was sometimes terrifying, often exciting, usually frustrating, and that place and the people who live there will always hold a very dear place in my heart. In my opinion it's still the most amazing place in China.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a Yoga teacher, Zumba teacher, English teacher, and piano teacher, happy to share any of these with anyone!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Spain, United States