I like simple things, such as surviving wind chills (-30° C) in Midwestern winters, making time for friends, cooking and slowly eating food in this fast-paced world, and hiking.

In a more traditional fashion: I am a French-born Chinese doing my Ph.D. in German in the U.S. Because it makes perfect sense, I enrolled in an intensive Japanese class. I've lived abroad for a while, so I am a bit confused as to what I should call home, probably any place with friends and good food...!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because I am curious about your passions, interests, experiences, and favorite food, and the place you have been!

I have been hosted by people who generously shared their free time, insights, and food with me, and would like to return the favor, as a host or as a guest.

Interests

COMMUNICATION and LIFESTYLE: Languages, cultures, people's ideas on family, friendship, risks, environment, food, health, etc. I lived in a cooperative house of 26 in the USA and have developed a deeper interest in intentional living, and how to positively impact on the environment and the community you live in.

FOOD: baking/cooking, eating, tasting the best burgers of America, sampling stouts and Belgian dark ales, but also learning about diverse issues related to food production and consumption.

Some things that may end up in your belly: fudgy brownies, chocolate croissants, pancakes with some rhum-soaked raisins, pear pies, Greek salad, omelets...

• culture
• fashion
• photography
• environment
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• baking
• powerlifting
• hiking
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Too eclectic and random to list... Let's see:

MUSIC:
- upbeat music that should remained unnamed
- I Barocchisti's interpretation of Vivaldi's Four Seasons
- Chuck Berry
- Andrew Bird
- Louise Fribo
- The Knife
- Ingrid Michaelson
- Muse
- Parov Stelar
- Ratatat
- Django Reinhardt
- Rodrigo y Gabriela
- Vienna Teng

MOVIES:
- Mostly those Scandinavian movies that make you very upset for they accurately depict family and love relationships (e.g., Susanne Bier's movies)
- Films with a sharp sense of humor (e.g., Woody Allen's earlier movies)
- Portraits of jerks
- Romantic comedies starring Julie Delpy because she plays characters which are so adorable and yet annoying.

Also:
- In the Mood for Love
- Metropolis
- Porco Rosso
- Her

Reading Material:
- The Little Prince (simple yet dense)
- Anything written by Bill Bryson
- Middlesex
- Any accessible magazines on science
- Any well written history book

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Living abroad for so long and not taking it for granted! with all good and bad: the excitement of making new friends, understanding a different culture, feeling home sick, getting mad at Skype for freezing in the middle of a conversation, etc.

Deadlifting 1.7x my weight.

Teach, Learn, Share

TEACH/SHARE:
- Gourmandise.
- Tongue twisters.
- Weird anecdotes and random facts.
- My good mood!
- What I've learnt in terms of wedding photography.
- Power lifting tips.

LEARN:
- How to better practice carpe diem.
- Your secret ingredient that made that dish so good.

What I Can Share with Hosts

See above.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, England, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Germany, United States