Just came back from a digital nomad trip to Turkey and Eastern Europe. Ready to host in Philadelphia and meet other travelers. At this time I’m only hosting foreigners.

--- About my house ---
- i live in a house with my dad, girlfriend, and little dog (very friendly) in a safe residential area.
- I have a spare bedroom with a queen sized bed. Bathroom is shared
- i live about 45 minutes away from the city center by public transportation.
- The metro goes through some "bad neighborhoods" so please keep that in mind. I can drive if it's convenient but I am not your uber
- Tuesday and thursday morning/evening i can give you a ride to the city
- there are international super markets and restaurants around if you take a bus (asian/eastern european, south american/ halal)
- i have to work during the day but may be able to hang out at night
- if you still wish to stay then please include the phrase "howdy doody" in your request and tell the most beautiful place you have hiked
- I would love to show you around if the schedules align. If you like going off the beaten path then send me a request.
- I also have a bike you can borrow if you ride fixies and are about 5-feet, 7inches

---- About me -----
I love beer, board games, code, bikes, mountains, walking around aimlessly, and a good conversation where our phones are not seen.

social media (mostly defunct)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaaang.qiiiu
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curly_qiu/

What I value most on my travels are the connections I make with people I meet along the way. I want to see the world, one person at a time.

The quiet moments that make me the happiest:
- huddling under a plastic tarp in the mountains of Colorado during a rainstorm with other couchsurfers on a weeklong camping roadtrip
- camping on a cliffside surrounded by sheep in the highlands of Scotland
- sharing a meal with an Afghani refugee inside an abandoned Greek airport where they were being sheltered
- swimming for the first time in a lake with some people I was sharing a home with in Switzerland
- roasting freshly-caught clams caught by a local environmentalist that I had befriended on a tropical beach in Indonesia
- finding a forest of Buddhist prayer flags hidden in a mountaintop near a monastery in a remote village in China.
- befriending a Filipino beachside shopkeeper and being the guest of honor to a family feast
- Foraging for wild mushrooms in the forests of Finland
- Living with a Tuscan family in a 500 year old house in an idyllic mountaintop village

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to meet locals and experience their lifestyles.

Invite me to a Swiss rachlettes dinner party and I'll bring some beer and help clean up.
Invite me to your Danish family farm and I'll help set up the pony fence.
Invite me to sunbathe by an Italian lake and I'll bring the sun oil.
Invite me on a ride on your grandfather's vintage French bike and I'll help you fix it up.
Invite me to your Finnish basement sauna and I'll make sure we have enough water for the heater.
Invite me to a Chinese tea ceremony and I'll make sure the cups are washed.
Invite me to camp on a Taiwanese black sand beach and I'll make sure we have enough supplies.
Invite me to speak to high school students in a Filipino fishing village and I'll teach them english for an afternoon.
Invite me to go on a motorcycle joyride through the countryside of Indonesia and I'll polish the helmets.

Interests

- Hiking
- Biking
- Camping
- programming
- Beer / whiskey

Music, Movies, and Books

MOVIES
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, Her

MUSIC
Mostly indie and folk music:
Velvet Underground, M. Ward, Pavement, Ivy, Nick Drake, Aimee Mann, Radiohead, Bob Dylan, Smog (Bill Callahan), Cat Power (Chan Marshall)

BOOKS
Ernest Hemingway (I have been carrying a copy of his short stories everywhere I go)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Biked and camped around the island of Taiwan. 1000km in 3 weeks.

Teach, Learn, Share

I co organize a language exchange event in Manayunk, Philadelphia. Come through if you're looking to hang out with cool people in a beautiful, "of the beaten path" part of town.

What I Can Share with Hosts

- I can cook Chinese food
- I can teach you how to ride and fix a bike
- I can play some guitar
- I can teach you about programming
- I can fix some computer issues
- I can teach you English and Chinese

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Macao, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States