This is Gustav, born and grew up in Taiwan until turning 18, but think and function nothing like a Taiwanese except for my passport.

I plan to move to a new country every 1 to 3 months for entire life, but also open to staying in the same country for a few years if suitable opportunity pops up.

I am open-minded, spontaneous and adventurous. As a Virgo, I am attentive to detail, and I enjoy doing housework, especially cleaning.

My ultimate goal in life is to live and work in Pyongyang, North Korea for a few years.

My Blog - https://gustavthelifelongnomad.btw.so/ | https://medium.com/@gustav.pan

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am currently taking a gap year, and frankly speaking I do not know how long it will be. I used to live in East Asia, North America, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and now I am looking for my new home for the next 2 to 3 years, and this is what this gap year is for.

My expectation from Couchsurfing is to connect with like-minded individuals. Please refer to the "Teach, Learn, Share" section for further elaboration on what I expect to gain out of this experience.

Interests

• writing
• performing arts
• dancing
• vegetarian
• running
• walking
• politics
• technology
• movies
• blogging
• minimalism
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• backpacking
• sports
• badminton
• entrepreneurship
• history
• languages
• road trips
• food

Music, Movies, and Books

• Music - I am more into either sad songs or songs with strong beats (I know this is a stark contrast); I would love to listen to the popular songs in your country, it doesn't matter whether I can understand the lyrics

• Movies - I have a strong preference for movies that depict the true dark side of the society, e.g. poverty, gangs, drugs, power abuse and social injustice, etc., i.e. the kind of movies that will make audience feel depressed after watching them

• Books - My favorite book in my life in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho; it sort of shaped my perspective regarding life

Teach, Learn, Share

• Teach & Share - Please refer to the next section

• Learn - I would love to spend time with you (as long as it does not disturb you) and learn more about how you think about the life in your city. I am not a touristy person (if you are willing to show me around tourist spots I would always appreciate it); I am much more curious about how people go to work, how people buy things, where people go for recreation, etc., like really simple details of day-to-day life in your city. After all, the purpose of this gap year is to find my home for the next 2 to 3 years

What I Can Share with Hosts

*General*
• My previous experience of living and working in / traveling to various countries

*Languages*
• I can teach English (TOEIC 980 | TOEFL 113 | IELTS 8.0) (English is de facto my first language), Chinese (Mandarin) (Simplified), Taiwanese Mandarin (Traditional)
• If you are interested in living and working in Taiwan, I can also teach you Taiwanese Hokkien as that is what will truly enable you to be fully immersed in the country

*Professional Background*
• (China) Worked in investment firms investing in unlisted / private companies
• (Vietnam (remote)) Founded my own market research agency and managed a team
• (Cambodia) Worked at the largest telecom operator as product manager - I developed IT products from scratch
• (Uzbekistan) Worked at largest EPC contractor in Central Asia, responsible for seeking financing for projects; also attempted to start a tech startup but did not work out
• (Nepal) Managed an independent movie theater and scaled it up from 1 screening per month to 4 screenings per week

My LinkedIn Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavpan/

*Professional Skills*
• Cross-functional and multinational project management
• Accounting & finance - Super good at Excel and numbers
• Social media management - SMM, content creation, etc.
• Creating professional PowerPoint slides - I can present things well
• Market research and data analysis - I am rigorously analytical and structured

Countries I’ve Visited

Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Laos, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cambodia, Canada, China, Nepal, Taiwan, Uzbekistan