I love to travel, to meet new people, and to learn new things. Much of my childhood was spent traveling to Greece to visit family and feeling wanderlust for just about everywhere else.

In my early 20s, I went to China to study martial arts and traditional healing. I met many amazing people along the way and was profoundly impacted by the Chinese way of life. I ended up earning a degree in Chinese language and East Asian studies, as well as a minor in TESOL, and I lived in China for a couple of years total.

I love sharing my travel stories and hearing others'. I'm also always up for learning other languages or sharing what I know of Chinese, English, and Spanish (ok, and a minuscule amount of Greek, too).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I first started Couchsurfing before there was a website, simply by relying on the kindness of strangers. I believe trust builds community, and Couchsurfing is representative of the global community that I would like to create and that I would like to live in. I have surfed on many a couch, and I hope to one day pay it forward, when I have my own place.

Interests

Healthy living, community, fitness, martial arts (tai chi), yoga, alternative medicine, wearable technology, technology, hiking, biking, nature, entrepreneurship, making the world a better place :)

• arts
• cooking
• breakfast
• fitness
• yoga
• technology
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• martial arts
• entrepreneurship
• languages
• medicine

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I lived at a Buddhist monastery in China and studied traditional martial arts for three months. Life-changing, indeed. Ask me about it!

Teach, Learn, Share

One of my favorite Chinese expressions:

失败是成功之母
Shibai shi chenggong zhi mu
Failure is the mother of success.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you some Chinese, regale you with travel stories, philosophize with you, and teach you about nutrition/holistic medicine. Oh yeah, and I can cook you a nice paleo-style breakfast if you're into that sort of thing :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, England, South Korea

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Greece, Mexico, Taiwan, United States