I'm Jake, a 23 year old Taiwanese boy raised in Hong Kong.
From a family of four kids, I'm the third.
I'm an enthusiastic handball player, I've been doing this for almost 10 years. I'm also an amateur Spanish learner.

I am quite easy going with most of the things and situations in life, always trying to look for the positive sides in an undesirable circumstance. My philosophy is "As long as you can eat and sleep, there shouldn't be bigger problems."

Now I'm back to Hong Kong and living with the family so can't really host, sorry :(

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Apart from travelling, I do want to "live" in the countries I travel. The best way you can immerse yourself in an exotic culture is to interact with the local people, look at the city from their angles mixing with yours.
And I would also love to be refreshed and astonished by different ideas and philosophies. I believe there is something that you can learn from every one on earth.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
I have surfed three times in Belgium and Germany. All my hosts are differently interesting, they have different backgrounds, also different stories to tell. I like the connections we built between each other.
I hosted my first guest in April, 2016. It felt really good to be able to return the favor from a stranger to another (not anymore, we are friends now!).
Couchsurfing more or less restore my confidence in humanity by showing me how much trust strangers can give to each other. Also it teaches me, if you do good to someone, it's gonna come back to you in the end.

Interests

I enjoy playing sports but I have my preferences. Handball is on the top of my list, and I'm a goalkeeper.
I'm also a long time supporter of Liverpool FC, YNWA.

Singing brings me joy, I like to sing when no one's noticing haha.

I also like watching comedies and detective movies, I would occasionally watch some Spanish films too as it brings me the sense of accomplishments when I can understand some of the dialogues.

Travelling is a new found hobby of mine. What amazes me the most are not just the heritages or beautiful sights, but also the wonderful people I met along the way. I believe the world is small and if you really want to meet someone again, you eventually will!

Saving some private time for myself is also what I like to do. I would go to a movie by myself, eat by myself, run by myself. It's not that I don't enjoy spending time with friends and family, but I do believe the importance of reserving private space for oneself. It allows me to reflect on my deeper and inner thoughts.

• culture
• writing
• singing
• movies
• traveling
• sports
• handball
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm really into Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and Stephen King, both the novels and the movies.

Some of my favourite movies are Shawshank Redemption, Memento, Intouchables, Prisoner and Predestination.

I mostly listen pop music, like Maroon5, Jason Mraz, Bruno Mars etc. I also enjoyed raps from time to time, with my favourite rapper being Eminem.

A friend I met in Spain introduced me to this awesome Aussie band Sticky Fingers, go check out their Australian Street:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TETVNH3k8Ag&nohtml5=False

One of my hosts Katha also recommended me a favourite song of hers, Au Revoir by Mark Forster, I like it a lot, too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ny3VjwhP4

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I traveled alone in Spain for a month in August 2015, best decision I've ever made.
There are so many first times and I met tonnes of cool and nice people throughout my trip.
One of the highlight was La Tomatina in Buñol, Valencia. There we had a crazy war of tomatoes and that was probably the most crowded street I have ever stayed at. Even my action camera was hit by a tomato then dropped into tomato juice that was inches deep, I still regret nothing.
Now I really look forward to meet those friends somewhere around the globe!

Teach, Learn, Share

My language, Mandarin and Cantonese. I am a native speaker for both of them. I am willing to communicate with learners of different levels.

Also if you would like to learn anything about handball, I'm willing to help within my capacity :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

My stories, I don't have much experience, but I believe it is unique and fun to talk about.
I would also be happy to answer any doubts about my country (Taiwan and Hong Kong).

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hong Kong, Spain, Taiwan