I am a Brit living in Beijing in China. When I am not working as an English Teacher I am studying Chinese, playing music and travelling.

I also enjoy music and going to gigs so if you are in Beijing, even if I can't host I would love to go see a band or something. Same goes for if I am visiting you. I play in a couple different bands but I am into all kinds of music.

Hiking is another hobby of mine and there are great places to walk and explore around Beijing and China which are great, same in the UK if you catch me whilst I am there (which would usually be during the Northern Hemisphere summer).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to travel and meet new people, so Couch Surfing is pretty perfect for me. I have met so many great people through CS meetings and from surfing who have taught me many things about the world and myself. I believe everyone you meet changes and shapes you as a person, and travelers and couch surfers are the kind of people I want to be shaped by and learn from.

Interests

Love music, festivals, gigs, travelling, writing, reading, playing instruments (guitar, bass, uke and tin whistle), radio (I presented a folk show on my student radio station), badminton (though I'm not great), cycling, interesting pubs/bars and good beers, cooking (willing to cook for hosts and cook meals for guests!), eating (willing to try your creations too), trivia, hiking, talking (some say too much), learning languages (I will ask you to teach me words, phrases or songs in any you know), linguistics... I have a lot of interests, not much doesn't interest me at least a little bit!

• festivals
• cooking
• beer
• trivia
• reading
• traveling
• music
• folk music
• guitar
• cycling
• hiking
• badminton
• chinese

Music, Movies, and Books

A few of the many films I like: Into The Wild, Snatch, City of God, Silence of the Lambs, Withnail and I. I love watching films so feel free to recommend me some.

A few musicians/composers: The Cat Empire, John Butler, Frank Turner, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, The Decemberists, The Levellers, The Correspondents, Caravan Palace, Manu Chao, David Bowie, Billie Holliday, Nina Simone, Beethoven, The Staves... Music is awesome so there is a bunch of stuff, I have an external hard drive with several days of music on if you want to share, I will happily trade music this way.

Books: Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Orwell, Gaiman, Murakami, I read all the time so there are way too many to mention!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Moved to China to teach English and learn Chinese. Currently learning Chinese which is really fun but a challenge.

Teach, Learn, Share

If you want I can teach you some Chinese though I am not fluent. Also can teach you the word for "cheers" in different languages, and random trivia about stuff.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like to cook, if I have the time I would be happy to cook for you. I like to chat, possibly too much, though I like to think I make good conversation. Can also share my film collection with you if you like movies.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United Kingdom