By day I’m a Silicon Valley (California) computer programmer... by night I’m a free spirit and adventure seeker! Travel to exotic places and immersion in new cultures/languages is my number one passion in life. In 2012 I took 3 months off of work to roam around 29 of China’s 35 provinces... in 2014 I took another few months off to travel with friends to Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and southern China once again. I love hostels and I love meeting people -- especially locals in the countries I’m visiting. I love foreign languages and foreign music. I particularly love China and everything Chinese. I’m on Wechat (微信), Chinese social network and have many friends there.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I don’t really care for 5 star hotels or luxury travel -- my idea of a good time is backpacking, staying in hostels, meeting people and learning local customs. I’ve visited over 35 countries so far, and apart from hostels I’ve stayed with friends, friends of friends, and friends of coworkers. A few people I’ve met have recommended Couchsurfing and this sounds like another way I can meet like-minded people and connect!

Interests

Travel, language study, reading, backpacking, hiking, staying at hostels, hitchhiking with friends, not having a plan and going where the wind takes me. I’ve recently developed fondness for ziplining, parasailing, and scuba diving, though some more extreme stuff (skydiving, bungee jumping) still scares me... I really like "ecotourism" adventures such as overnight hikes / kayaking. I love public transportation and how it connects people and brings people together so much better than the car-dependent culture where I grew up. I love China and everything Chinese! And want to retire and live in a big city, in a high-rise condo in Asia.

• culture
• books
• dining
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• scuba diving
• bungee jumping
• skydiving
• languages
• software
• hitchhiking
• ecotourism
• sightseeing
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all music, from Mozart/Beethoven to Eminem/Psy and everything in between. I like to go crazy and dance and have fun. I love books... my favorite book is Les Misérables by Victor Hugo... but I also love more modern authors like John Grisham and Dan Brown.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In 2012 I took 90 days off of work to backpack through China. I didn’t have any plan or book anything more than 1 day in advance, playing the entire trip by ear as I visited 29 of China’s 35 provinces, from Beijing to Urumqi, down to Sichuan, to Hong Kong, and back up to Zhangjiajie (the most beautiful place in China, where they filmed Avatar, think "floating mountains of Pandora" -- they’re real and they’re in China!).

Teach, Learn, Share

I studied French for years and am pretty fluent but lack regular use; I’d also consider myself fluent in Mandarin (my mom is Chinese). I love language study and have tried to pick up simple Italian and Korean in the past. I’d love to practice with you or find language study partners!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Go out to eat, go sightseeing, share stories and enjoy life. I’m not fussy at all, like to have fun, and am respectful of other people’s cultures and customs. I have a philosophy of total acceptance and no judgment.

I’m pretty frugal and enjoy the simple, adventurous lifestyle (by this I mean backpacking, and preferring hostels to fancy hotels, preferring tasty street food to fancy restaurants, etc.) though this is just what I found makes me happiest and I know everyone is different and unique.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Laos, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States