CURRENT MISSION

Learn how to be happy, no matter where I am

ABOUT ME

My friends would tell you I'm contemplative, which is true. I think I'm bad at conversation, but no one else seems to. I love languages, but I'm often very nervous when it comes to speaking them. I gravitate towards extremes, I love both utter silence and loud, thumping electronica. I want to get my master's degree, but I'm not sure in what. I'm an amateur writer and comic artist. I eat vegetarian/vegan (but mostly vegetarian).

PHILOSOPHY

Presence and awareness. So much of life is lived without us even realizing it, and so to be able to fully experience it we have to wake ourselves up and be conscious of where we are and what we're doing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I surf when I can, but when I'm not traveling I love to host. Providing a welcoming environment for people to come stay in is one way I can positively give in a world where making a difference can be so difficult.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

The summer of 2010 I surfed around France for a couple of weeks and I had really great experiences. My hosts were all really kind and welcoming and they handled my shyness and limited French really well.
While living in Taiwan I hosted good people and have grown to really enjoy having people stay with me.
Now I'm continuing my hosting experience here in Seattle!

Interests

I spend a lot of time thinking about language-related issues. Language is something that I think is immensely important, and as a native speaker of English, I find it hard to reconcile myself with the fact that English is the world lingua franca.
I also like reading, riding bikes, climbing, dancing, cooking (Mediterranean and Asian cuisines are my favorite), making comics, being in beautiful places, interacting with old objects, stretching, doing physical activity (but I don't love 'exercising').

• writing
• chinese new year
• dancing
• environment
• cooking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• exercise
• comics
• reading
• traveling
• rock climbing
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm currently really into the Attack on Titan Manga and the Game of Thrones Series.

Books that influenced me:
The Alexandria Quartet
The Alchemist
The Glass Bead Game
Siddhartha

Books I like or have recently read:
Ender's Game
Speaker for the Dead
Love in the Time of Cholera
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wild Swans
River Town
Oracle Bones
In Praise of Shadows
Game of Thrones Pentology.

Music:
Sigur Ros
Efterklang
Eluvium
Death Cab for Cutie
The Postal Service
Yelle
Iamamiwhoami
Tiesto
Nicki Minaj
Radiohead
The Album Leaf
Asobi Seksu
Beirut
Bjork
Hauschka
Jonsi
Lady Gaga
M.I.A.
M83
Mamer
Royksopp
The Smiths
Swedish House Mafia
White Sea

Genres I like:
Anything electronic: techno, house, triphop, elctro-pop, dance, trance, you name it.
I also like classical music, instrumental post-rock, really anything sweeping and dramatic.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was living in France, I took a day-trip with my language school to L'Aguille du Midi, on Mont Blanc. At the top of the needle I was standing in France, but could see Switzerland. It was the first time I'd seen a glacier, and the best part was the clean air and the excellent people I was with.

Last Chinese New Year I was doing a trip around Taiwan with my boyfriend and one night in KaoHsiung we couldn't find a place to sleep, so we ended up pitching our tent in a schoolyard. When we woke up there were old ladies doing calisthenic exercises next to us, they gave us strange looks as we emerged and then proceed to slowly move away.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm no expert on anything, but I love discussion (it's a great way to refine our thinking), so if you have an opinion, I would love to hear about it! I can also teach English if you're learning.
As far as learning goes. I'm studying French and Chinese could always use some help there, otherwise I'm just generally interested in your experience and how that informs the way you live your life.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal

Countries I’ve Lived In

Taiwan, United States