Hi, I'm Kiva. I was born and raised in Shanghai, China but currently I'm getting my master's degree in England, learning cultural industries and entrepreneurship.
I'm a travel fanatic and a good storyteller.
I was a singer and songwriter before when I was in Shanghai(yeah...as a full-time job). It might sound cool but actually not...well I can tell the stories about it if you host me XD I still sing and write songs from time to time, but not as a job. I wanted to jump out of the field for a while, travel around and rethink what I'm going to do in the future.

My Instagram: kivasun

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm a solo backpacker. Previously I went to many places by myself and I'm just addicted to the feeling of traveling alone. It's fun and unpredictable. Every time I travel or do Couchsurfing, I love spending time/food/drinks with the locals. I met so many interesting people on CS and I really love this style of traveling and sharing stories with each other.
I enjoy talking about stories, ideas, experience, wisdom, and dreams.
I like the Couchsurfing spirit--which I think is genuinely a good way to explore a place.

And I'm so grateful for whoever popped into my life:)

Interests

• environment
• vegan
• yoga
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• history
• food
• english
• chinese
• adventure
• gym
• languages and cultures
• spanish

Music, Movies, and Books

I like Jazz the most, but actually, I listen to all genres.

My favorite singers are:
Amy Winehouse, Stacey Kent, Laura Fygi, Diana Krall...

And I also like loads of musicians like:
Chick Corea, Victor Wooten, The Bamboos, CHIC...

My favorite movies are...too many...like:
The Matrix
The legend of 1900
Léon
Interstellar
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Whiplash
The Prestige
Malèna
La vita è bella
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Truman Show
3 Idiots......
TOO MANY GOOD MOVIES!!! I think I prefer science fiction and horror.

My favorite books are:
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
One Hundred Years of Solitude(Cien años de soledad).

Gabriel García Márquez makes wanna learn Spanish.
My dream is one day I can read the original One Hundred Years of Solitude in Spanish.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Finished my first half-marathon in 2016
Trekking in Tibet and staying overnight in the Everest Base Camp
Hiking in Seven Sister national Park from the south of England
Volunteering as an English teacher for Caritas migrant kids program for 4 years.
AND becoming a vegan:)

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm teaching Mandarin on Preply and I do love learning and teaching languages. I met a lot of interesting people while I'm teaching, they are from different countries and have different occupations. It's so magical we can share a moment and talk about some interesting topics. Sometimes I don't feel I'm teaching, it's more like talking with a friend and tutor him/her Chinese incidentally. lol that's my teaching style:)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I cook well if you like, let me cook something for you:)
Basically vegan cooking. I love meeting veggie and vegan during my journey.
And I do yoga often, not a pro but I can teach. I like to practice yoga before I go to bed, It's a good way to relax my body and soothe me.
Loads of stories to share:)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Macao, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, England