CURRENT MISSION

An old CS alumni reconnecting with my old, vibrant, lively self --- including returning to CS!

ABOUT ME

I have an international background: from Asia, studied in USA, did my research in Latin America and SE Asia, and now living in SE Asia. I got my undergraduate degree in botany in Taiwan, graduate degrees in ecology and Latin American studies in Illinois, moved to Austin for my PhD in Geography, received a certificate in nonprofit business management in Chicago, and worked as a postdoc in Flagstaff.

After I left USA and moved to Indonesia, my life took several major turns and big upheavals. For years due to travels and various circumstances of home and my work studio, I did not use CS or stay engaged actively. This summer as I began to resume my old hobbies and activities, it occurred to me that why not restarting CS again.

PHILOSOPHY

I believed that we should work to live, not live to work. And I live to work hard, play hard and think hard! For the last several years I seemed to focus too much on work and forget about my old belief. It's time to realign how I live and work for the balance again.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

When I lived in Austin I participated in various Austin CS get-together activities and I sometimes organized events. I hosted very often since I lived near downtown Austin and central Flagstaff. When I traveled, I tried to stay with local couchsurfers for as much as possible.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Yes, I began hosting and couchsurfing in summer 2007. I will continue hosting and surfing wherever possible.

Interests

I love Latin dance (especially salsa and Argentine tango), traveling, cooking and tasting various cuisines, reading, playing some piano, listening to music (classical, world, jazz, etc.), film (mostly international and art film), yoga, backpacking/hiking, and language learning. It'd be great to enjoy both adventurous and intellectual activities with someone, and share thoughts about life together. I've also tried aerial silk and capoeira and would love to do more on both when I can. I also enjoy sitting in a cafe with or without friends, just to relax and think about what other fun things I can do in town.

After not having any pets for years, in the last 2 years adopting a kitten and then a golden retriever totally changed my life. These 4-legged furry kids changed the priority in life, and now I spend a lot of time talking to other "pawrents" to exchange stories, share photos/videos, and find play dates.

• pets
• arts
• dancing
• tango
• bachata
• capoeira
• dining
• cooking
• yoga
• meditation
• shopping
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• backpacking
• surfing
• business
• tourism
• wellbeing
• kizomba
• movie
• jogging
• coaching
• hypnosis
• wellness
• hypnotherapy

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many on the list---

Classical, jazz, world, dance, etc.

Art film, independent, international, etc.

Books by Gabriel Marquez, Isabel Allende, Paulo Coelho, The Little Prince, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Survived from lots of hardships and upheavals in life. This inspired me to establish a wellness/wellbeing center in Jakarta (Indonesia) to help more people. Check out my website caring-nature.com OR Instagram @thecaringnature !

Teach, Learn, Share

I can show you some Latin dance moves (salsa, merengue,bachata, cha-cha, Argentine tango), a little piano playing, some Chinese learning, Asian food cooking, and lots of stories of working in the tropical forests in Latin America and Southeast Asia, especially my work in the Amazon.

What I Can Share with Hosts

In addition to everything I've mentioned in my profile, I can have conversations about personal growth and development, self healing, and how different types of healing modalities can help what kind of situations. Always happy to share how I went through a tough journey to flourish and how I got inspired to help others in need.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Indonesia, Taiwan, United States

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