From Taiwan and grew up in Shanghai, China. I lived and worked there on and off for twelve years. I'm currently without a home, taking a long trip in Central America and hopefully eventually make it to the South!

I'm very easy going, always curious, enjoy adventures and odd encounters.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I appreciate genuine human interactions. I believe that every person has a story to tell, wants to be heard and connect with one another. I find that couch surfing brings like-minded people together, however diverse our backgrounds may be.

Before I joined couch surfing, I've had the chances to receive the hospitality of complete strangers in many places that I traveled to. It is wonderful to connect with and trust somebody who you've just met, in an unfamiliar context, to experience the differences, but ultimately to find out so many things you share in common.

Interests

Traveling: looking at passing scenery from the window of a train, getting lost, listening to the life/strange stories of strangers, picking up new languages...

Making things: when I'm not just living out of a backpack I'm a hopeless hoarder of any potentially useful materials. The current trip is a challenge to have as few possessions as possible.

Outdoor: biking, hiking, climbing, diving, skiing...

Quiet stuff: drawing, knitting, reading, people watching...

Want to learn: organic farming, sewing, carpentry, accordion, surfing (still failing after many attempts)...

• traveling

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Volunteering in Guatemala by the beautiful lake Atitlan. It was my first real experience of working with children (not to mention in my terrible Spanish!) and I somehow managed to design a mural for all the children there from as young as 6 year old to 13, to not only participate, but to have fun and take pride in the work, and to finally finish almost all by themselves. My only role there was demonstrating, damage control (so that paint was not spilled and wasted all over the street during the fun and over excitement), and occasional repair work.

Perhaps it's not that big of a deal to people who are good with kids but to somebody who had long had children-phobia, I was quite proud of this little accomplishment. I also learned that being a facilitator could be extremely rewarding. I now really look forward to finding more volunteer works with children and teens.

Teach, Learn, Share

a beer, a laugh, travel stories, Chinese, Chinese food, drawing and painting tips.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I cook decent vegetarian and Chinese food, I guess, my past audiences have said so.

Although not on couch surfing, I once painted the wall for my host. He requested a huge hibiscus flower. I got free lodging and meals and a good time with his family. We were both very happy with the exchange.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Belize, Cambodia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Italy, Taiwan, United States