Currently a reporter for morning time news radio in Seoul, a weekly music radio DJ, and a management consultant with a love for creative side projects!

My life in summary:
Born in Korea. Grew up in the United States. Came of age in the UK. Graduated University then went on a 6 month trip to South Asia that changed my life. After getting a full-time job in Seoul, I haven't managed to travel as often but my most recent trips were a 2 month "residency" in Pai (beautiful village in the Thai highlands) and Tokyo! I love adventurous conversations and conversational adventures.

https://www.facebook.com/iamjesspark

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

First time I went Couchsurfing was in 2012, the Easter holidays of my second year at university. I met the most amazing students and friends in LJUBLJANA, ZAGREB, BELGRADE, and BUCHAREST and have been hooked ever since.

The biggest trip of my life was 6 month trip in South Asia, and it was fantastic to see that the CS community is alive and well in India and Sri Lanka. One CS friend who hosted my friend and myself in Madurai even helped us locate my friend's great-grandfather's grave, which no one in his family had ever visited. Without her help, it would've been impossible to find it. I love the generosity and positive energy I experience on Couchsurfing, and I hope to host as soon as I find a stable home-base!

Interests

Meditation, creative writing, play, dance, contact improvisation, indie games, digital photography, music technology, cycling, travelling, fishing, snowboarding, art and design; gamification, cultural relativity of internet use, HCI, generation Y, new technologies, social media, building online communities; social entrepreneurship, event management, philosophy, political sciences, social sciences... blah blah!

• animals
• arts
• culture
• literature
• festivals
• dancing
• meditation
• music
• hiking
• snowboarding
• film

Music, Movies, and Books

Top Ten Films:
1. The Holy Mountain
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. The Red Shoes
5. Bonnie & Clyde
6. Beasts of the Southern Wild
7. Samsara / Baraka
8. Oldboy
9. Nashville
10. Point Blank

Favorite Music:
Animal Collective, Radiohead, CAN, Flying Lotus, Chance the Rapper, Talking Heads, William Onyeabor, etc. etc.

Favorite Books:
Midnight's Children, Inherent Vice, V, American Pastoral, The God of Small Things, The Sun Also Rises, The Interrogation, Lolita, The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Top Three Beautiful Experiences so far:
1. Ice-hiking in Matanuska Glacier in Alaska
2. Flying above Victoria Falls on a small, flying bike
3. Sunrise in port meadow, Oxford. Peaceful Cows.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've grown up in three different countries, which has given me an identity crisis, but also an interested perspective into different cultures and the diverse motley of pieces of land we all come from and the different places we meander away to.

Many people say what distinguishes human beings from other animals is rationality, but I believe the real distinguishing factor is CULTURE - the diversity of culture. No other animals have developed such varied practices within the same species. I'm talking about music, religion, art, festivals, dance, slang, literature... This stuff fascinates me.

I'll share the small portion of human culture I've had access to, please share with me yours :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking Korean Food
Decent Conversation I Hope!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Korea, United Kingdom, United States