CURRENT MISSION

Travel, work, and have fun.

ABOUT ME

Raised in Taiwan, went to college in California, did a master's in the UK, recently began doctoral studies in Taiwan, and soon returning to the US for more years of schooling, my life has gone on a rather circuitous path. Thankfully, though, I've rediscovered the dream of my life. Childhood memories of having witnessed massive sociopolitical changes continue to define the things I do and feel passionate about. Travel is one of the these things that has affected me in a hugely positive way! On a lighter note, I personally love to travel via various modes of transport, like to drink and smoke socially, enjoy cooking and jogging, and want to learn more about the similarities and differences between cultures. I'm also interested in learning new languages, such as Bahasa Indonesia.

PHILOSOPHY
There are many obstacles along the way to our destinations. I've learned from my own experiences and from my close friends that those obstacles are meant to test our tenacity, patience. I also realized that there're multiple alleys to our destinations, and that being fixated on a "short cut" or a particular path can blind us to other possibilities. A flexible approach to life and a willingness to fight for something or someone seems to be my mantra right now, in 2015.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have been away from "home" for the past two years doing fieldwork in Taiwan and Indonesia. While in Indonesia and in other developing countries, I'd met CS and non-CS hosts from all walks of life, from migrant workers, village chiefs, factory laborers, artisans, intellectuals, peasants, NGO activists, to small and medium entrepreneurs. Through staying with them, my life was enriched by a diversity of perspectives that challenged what I'd once taken for granted. I also realize that just as my life had a few bumps along the way, I'm incredibly privileged, coming from a middle-class background. I'm hoping to become a host when I return to the Bay Area.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I was invited to stay with a number of local families while visiting Tunisia, Iran, Syria, Yemen, and Sudan during my extended journeys. Most of these experiences were unexpected in that my hosts went out of their way to accommodate and show me around when I first set foot in town. From the rooftops and carpeted floor of homes in Berber Tunisia and Yemen, to the middle-class Iranian villa and apartment, to the colourful Nubian village adobe, I've been blessed with an array of couchsurfing experiences. At the same time, being shown by welcoming locals such unusual sights as the Al Hudayda fish market, the Dosha sanddune and the ancient ruins of Soleb (hitched a ride on a donkey cart to get there!), the Berber granaries, and the Caspian sea, was truly unforgettable.

Interessen

Travel, photography, politics, social movements and collective protests, cooking and eating, daydreaming, jogging, swimming, having an engaging conversation, smoking sheesha, reading, social drinking, wandering randomly while visiting a new town, research, people-watching (always waiting for a moment to snap a shot of strangers)

• fish
• culture
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• wine
• drinking
• boating
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• opera
• fishing
• hiking
• muslim
• swimming
• languages
• mountains

Musik, Filme und Bücher

I'm intellectually deprived. In the past few months, I've been rather preoccupied with my studies so apart from the occasional movies (e.g. Paradise Now), I've been doing mostly academic reading. Nevertheless, I enjoy classics (e.g. Heart of Darkness), Agatha Christine novels, political science books, and some contemporary novels or journalistic works (e.g. The Joy Luck Club, Lipstick Jihad, Four Days of Courage).

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Getting force-fed homebrewed wine by dancing locals in Pakistan (alcohol is forbidden in the Islamic Republic)--got drunk, threw up and the next morning went hiking in the mountains; Living in the home of a Nubian boat driver in northern Sudan and observing their daily routine (which included a mandatory Egyptian soap opera at night); Getting briefly arrested as a terror suspect and questioned in French and English by trilingual officers in the Lebanese army; Sleeping on an open-air dhow with goats while traversing the Red Seas.

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I'm knowledgeable about Java, Indonesia, and Taiwan, where I've spent some time. I am a fluent speaker of Taiwanese, Mandarin, English, and Indonesian, and am quite fascinated with Javanese culture as I'd lived in rural Java for 7 months.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

Travel and non-travel stories

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Belize, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, Yemen

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States