CURRENT MISSION

spreading memes

ABOUT ME

They'd say I'm a teacher but also a lifetime student because I'm intellectually curious. Love to goof around but also to have serious conversations.

PHILOSOPHY

Learn from other point of views to broaden your own perspective, which inevitably has blind spots, but the more self-aware you are of it, the better.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Host, surf, and meetups when my schedule allows.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Started hosting because my housemate Chris is really into this. Been to a few events in Philly and NY, starting to host and surf a bit, and so far it's been great.

Interests

Good eats! Trying new foods.

As a grad student, I'm always reading.

Love what I do, which is teaching college students (Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism), and learning as a student myself.

I travel often and have been abroad for extended periods in Nanjing, Seoul, Beijing, Kyoto, and Jinshan/New Taipei. It's great to see diverse expressions of life, culture, customs, and delicious cooking, because it helps me reflect on and broaden my own perspective.

Learning languages: since expert/intermediate/beginner can capture a whole range of language proficiency, I'll make my language learning history a bit clearer here. I'm a native English and Cantonese speaker. I tested Advanced-Mid in Mandarin (ACTFL-OPI), and Intermediate-Mid in Japanese (ACTFL-OPI). I've studied Spanish for 8 years but my speaking is quite rusty (I got by in Spain and Mexico but it's been awhile).

Hobbies: basketball, bowling, snowboarding, swimming, chess, qigong and chan/zen meditation, languages, karaoke, watching and spreading TED talks, hosting potlucks...

• culture
• cooking
• meditation
• chess
• reading
• traveling
• karaoke
• snowboarding
• buddhist
• basketball
• swimming
• bowling
• teaching
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: ones that stick with you and leave you with much to think about.

Music: depends on my mood, but I have a big collection because I like diverse styles.

Fiction: Michael Crichton, George R. R. Martin
Nonfiction: very diverse interests, especially Eastern Philosophical texts.

Check out my Academia.edu profile for my academic interests (including abstracts of past talks and CV)
http://temple.academia.edu/KinCheung

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seeing the moon rise in the dessert of Morocco was a complete 180 from city life.
Yellow Mountain in China is the most awe-inspiring natural scenery I've witness.
Meditating with the monks in Dharma Drum Mountain in the mornings and nights during my stay in their Buddhist College.

Teach, Learn, Share

"When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them." - Analects 3.22

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, United States