Born a Korean, raised in London, and being a lover of travelling and seeing new cultures - I probably consider myself an international rather than a specific national. :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To learn anything, one must constantly seek and venture out new places, things and people.
Most of us are unable to go beyond certain amount of first-hand experience, which is why we turn to books and videos; But PEOPLE always teach you the most- they have the power to directly effect and influence your soul (in ways pleasant or unpleasant.)

Interests

I've set my heart on learning acting, and that is my life's passion right now.

I have a voracious appetite for learning about new cultures, especially their arts. And I love all forms of art - films, theatre, music, dance, literature.... you name it, I'm into it, whichever medium / genre / place of origin.

Which is not to say I'm disinterested in other areas - on the contrary, I'd have so much more to learn from fields I'm unfamiliar with!

• culture
• literature
• design
• fashion
• acting
• anime
• music
• jazz
• philosophy
• films
• adventure
• storytelling
• theatre
• discussion
• learning
• asian culture

Music, Movies, and Books

I like music that evokes a visual scene in mind.
Soundtracks. Especially East Asian composers like 이병우, Yoko Kanno, Iwasaki Taku, Joe Hisaishi, 梁邦彦..

JAZZ saved my life many nights.
As well as 'standard' jazz style, I like all jazz-influenced genres; Acid jazz, bossa nova, tango nuevo, dixieland, shibuya-kei..
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Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Esperanza Spalding, Jamiroquai, M-flo, iamnobodi, FKJ , SebastiAn, Disclosure, Astor Piazzolla, The Real Group, Tchaikovsky, 프라이머리, 알리, 이승환, Wouter Hamel, Alan Menken, Kurt Elling, Abel Korzeniowski...

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A Single Man, Tree of Life, Inception, Lilting, Nightmare Before Christmas, Love Letter,...

The style and genre can vary hugely. I like films with great production design, good casting, beautiful cinematography, perfect soundtracks, and most of all, thoughtful writing.

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Evocative writing - be that the beauty in the flow of words, or the writer talking about things he's genuinely interested in (e.g. Short essays by Murakami Haruki and George Orwell)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Working with Caravan Stage Company - which is the world's only travelling theatre ship (think theatrical pirates!), and that was definitely an 'alternative' cultural experience. I got to live in NYC for months, which was cool.

AND THEN... I embarked on a 10-week trip across USA, to have in the first week my entire belonging robbed. Macbook, camera, souvenirs, tons of clothing.. everything. So from then on, I ended up couchsurfing across the continent - not through this website, but couches of people I meet in cafes, buses, trains, Facebook, friends-of-friends-of-friends-of-friends.... Ah, the generosity of the people! Americans say a lot of means things about themselves, but to me they sure were nice.

So though it was more a survival than a holiday, I don't regret going. It will be remembered as THAT trip of my youthful days in the years to come. :-)

Teach, Learn, Share

I speak native level English and Korean, and have taught both.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I moved from Korea to London when I was 11.
Studied the arts all my life.
Identify myself as a storyteller, and like to read stories from everything that surrounds me.
And love genuine relationships.
So if you're a lover of cultures, you can expect to have some good lengthy conversations with me:-)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, South Korea, United States