Hi!
I'm Lili, 22, a college student. I have been living in Budapest since childhood. I studied how to be a tourguide, and it was at that time I realized how many things there are, I still don't know about my own city. Since then, I enjoy just exploring the hidden treasures while walking down the streets. I would love to show it all to others so I would like to meet up. I also want to host surfers, as soon as my home situation allows me to do so, but I'm not sure when that time will come.

At university I study East Asian Studies.I lived in China (Xiamen, Fujian) for one year right after high school, studying Chinese. It was a really good experience to learn how to stand on my own two feet, solving the problems by myself, and learning how to be understanding and open minded. I met people from all corners of the world and it made me realize how little I know, and how much more I want to know. It was also the first time I had the courage to travel alone, and try couchsurfing. And it became the most memorable time of my life :)

Since I have already lived in the eastern part of the world I decided this is the right time to discover the West. That's how I ended up coming to America. I'm working as a counselor in a summer camp, leading hiking, canoeing and overnight camping trips. I can enjoy both the nature, and the company of children which are two things, that are really important in my life.

In my free time I like to sing hungarian folk songs and go to dance houses with my friends, where we can practice folk dance. I'm not a professional, I just try to follow the other people around, and it's always an amazing experience. It's also a nice place to meet new people, may it be other hungarians or curious foreigners.
On weekends I usually go hiking, or I just get out of the city since five days a week is enough being surrounded by cars and noise.
On lazy days I like to lie in bed and read books, drink tea or hot chocolate, whatch cartoons, write stories, learn a language, practice calligraphy or create something with my own hands like origami, friendship bracelets, painting wood etc.

Periodically I also do volunteer work on running competitions, although I never run :) If sports, hiking is my calling. I'm also a volunteer in the open museum in Szentendre, which is 40 minutes away from Budapest, and is the most beautiful town in Hungary. Oh yeah, if I step into a museum I only come out after reading every singe text, looking at every little item. (The only museum I failed to do so was the Louvre. Mission impossible.)
I also love nature, so whenever I can, I hike. I even studied biology for a year at uni, but I realized that's not my true calling, so I changed my major. I still love nature, and if you are curious about some awesome fun facts about mushrooms and snails, feel free to ask ;)

Other things I like: my family, hot chocolate, cats, traveling, sleeping in a tent and making up stories what the creepy noises coming from the woods could be, playing badmington, and my little sister.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to visit different countries with different culture, and try to get to know them. The best way to do that is to make native friends, and CS is the best place for this. When I was in Japan, I met the people who made my stay unforgettable through CS.

Of course it is also my plan to host surfers in Budapest, but that's only possible when I get my own flat. It would be awesome to show people from all over the world what hidden gems a small country like Hungary can have.

Interests

I love to learn about stories of different countries/people, myths, legends, or just hirtory itself. I'm a huge fan of greek mythology and the japanese folklore. Very different, but both very interesting.

I played the violin for 12 years and was part of a youth symphonic orchestra for 8 years. It was a really important part of my life, and music is still important although my interest moved to the direction of folk music.

As strange as it sounds I really like mushrooms and snails, but nowadays I'm also getting interested in herbs and medical plants. When I hike in different counties I like to look up what kind of plants are surrounding me.

I also love having fun with children. A year ago I even created a complete board game for my little sister. It works well :)

• culture
• books
• singing
• chocolate
• walking
• comics
• cartoons
• movies
• painting
• origami
• music
• violin
• hiking
• swimming
• biology
• history
• languages
• learning languages
• japanese culture
• taxonomy

Music, Movies, and Books

Books:
Michael Ende: Die unendliche Geschichte (The neverending story)
Khaled Hosseini: And the Mountains Echoed
James Herriot: All Creatures Great and Small
Szerb Antal: A Pendragon legenda

Movies:
Eat, drink, man, woman
Lord of the Rings
Slumdog Millionare
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie)

Cartoons:
The Secret of Kells
Spirited Away (Chihiro)
Shrek
How to Train Your Dragon

Music:
Blackmore's Night
Of Monsters and Men
Indila
Magashegyi Underground
LP

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

With 19 years I went alone traveling in a foreign country (Japan) where I knew nobody, and couldn't even speak the language, and had the best time of my life.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach languages, how to fold cranes and how to make creative presents with your own two hands. I can teach how to make easy but delicious hungarian dishes. I can share my experiences from China or from the other countries I visited, I would love to hear your stories too.

I want to learn more about other countries and cultures. I also want to learn languages. Right now I'm focusing on Chinese and Japanese, but I love languages and I think you can't really understand a different culture if you don't know the language it was born in. So if you can teach me some phrases I would be very happy.
I would also love to hear stories and children songs, parents sing before their child falls asleep.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach one of the world's most difficult language (I'm thinking of Hungarian here). I can listen and tell stories. Cook hungarian food, sing hungarian songs.
I can be a companion when watching movies, hiking or during a walk in a city.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Germany