CURRENT MISSION

Live, explore, love, have fun, meet people, learn, travel, try new things, enjoy life, give back to the world

ABOUT ME

*UPDATE Jan. 4, 2009*
I arrived in San Francisco today! I will be working for the city government here until the end of the month. My job entails making public policy recommendations to the government to help bring technology, namely computers and internet access, to low-income/disadvantaged communities. I am doing this without pay because I will be helping the community while gaining valuable experience. Since housing is not provided, I am currently looking for a place to stay!
*END UPDATE*

I have never done a whole lot of traveling in my life. In fact, as I am writing this I still have never left the United States. This summer, I will be going to China to teach science at high schools. I am looking forward to this experience greatly! I have always been interested in other cultures for as long as I can remember. Since I am going to be going to China, I also decided to go to Korea for several days beforehand. I have no plans when I get there, I only have a plane ticket. I like the idea of an adventure, and my plan was to try and find a hostel or hotel when I get there, but then I heard about this site. Now I can only hope!

My interest in Korean culture came from one of my good friends my senior year of high school. He was a foreign exchange student and we hung out a lot. Now, I can't stop watching Korean movies! :)

PHILOSOPHY

Even though it's cliche, I really do try to live every day as if it were my last. I don't like letting life's moments slip me by, so I don't regret. This doesn't mean I am always satisfied with my decisions, but rather than regretting things, I learn from them. I don't judge others; everyone is different. I embrace all types of people and try to learn from them. I like learning about the world around me. My goal everyday is to make at least one person smile or improve someone else's life somehow.

On a side note, even though I can be serious, I try to make every situation a fun one because life is so much more enjoyable that way!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had an amazing time the last 2 summers in Korea and China and then Japan! I will put more here later.

Interests

friends, food, chocolate (yes, this deserves a category separate from food ;) science, adventures, photography/taking pictures of everything(!), hip-hop dance, meeting people, cultural exchange with others, Asia, big cities, beaches, helping others, gazing at the stars, the world.

• culture
• writing
• photography
• dancing
• dining
• chocolate
• desserts
• technology
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• physics
• public policy
• science
• beaches
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Night at the Roxbury, Anchorman, Baseketball, Biodome, Happy Gilmore, 50 First Dates, Loose Change 2E recut (via Google Video), Along Came Polly, Donnie Darko, Wedding Crashers, Meet the Parents (and the Fockers), Office Space, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, Rush Hour 1 and 2, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Girl Next Door, Fight Club, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, anything with Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Jackie Chan, or Zhang Ziyi (my future wife :), Ice Age 1 and 2, Zoolander, Spirited Away, Spice World, Ong-Bok Warrior, The Phantom of the Opera, The Ring 1 and 2, The Classic (클

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveled the Silk Road in 5 days from Northwest China to Lanzhou, which included traveling through snowcapped mountains, desserts, camel-riding, sand sliding on wood, visiting ancient Monk's desert caves, the western end of the Great Wall, an old movie set with two mountain ranges in the distance and a canyon with rope bridge, among lots of other things.

Also taught physics at high schools throughout China which was a great experience.

Lots of great stories from my Asia adventures, including some personal encounters with some important people.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would love to exchange cultural experiences with others. I want to learn Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

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