Hello all,

My name is Penmai! I am currently going into my Junior year and am studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Brown University. Despite my ventures being fully committed to my academic studies, I have always had an intrinsic need to explore new places and simultaneously meet new people. I believe that the environment and people around an individual have the greatest level of influence on the way he or she perceives the world. Thus, I want to continually meet a range of people in a diverse amount of places so that I am always on an exponential rate of growth. I hope to gain experiences and understanding of the world by exploring the entire globe through a spectrum of experiences.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The main reason I'm on Couchsurfing: I want to purposefully surround myself with the kind souls who would openly offer their home to strangers for no other reason but just that.

I realize that globe trotting is hard, expensive and can be relatively dangerous. However, individuals who provide safe spaces as such make learning, growing and progressing as a person through travel truly contribute to a higher and effective public good. I want to learn from these individuals, understand their incentives for welcoming strangers into their homes and channel my learning through my own actions as well. I want to actively participate in this learning cycle and also be a catalyst for others as well to learn and become better versions of themselves.

Interests

Deep rooted in my Colorado blood, I have always loved nature. My mother’s civil water resources engineering background has been the greatest influence in in teaching me how to appreciate the earth. Being in tune with the environment, I’ve picked up hobbies that ranges from surfing in Bolinas, California to backpacking 50 miles of the Appalachian trail in North Carolina.

I have always been adventurous; this characterization has transcended to parts of my life like the activities I enjoy to my taste palate. Growing up, I hiked several 14ers in Colorado, played soccer, volleyball and ran cross country and track. Sport activities had been the main influence of my life but when I came to Brown, there were time and geographic limitations with my involvement in these particular activities. Therefore, I began immersing myself in different and possible interests that I wasn’t aware of prior to my arrival on campus. Entrepreneurship, activism and writing all became similar sources of meditation. I now love to balance my weekends with a game of pick-up volleyball and a walk through an art museum.

• culture
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• sports
• psychology
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Anything and Everything!

Favorite Movies: Movies with meaning!

Books: Currently reading "The Merry Misogynist" by Colin Cotterill. Recommendations anyone?

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Created and ran a 100 person conference for students in humanities majors to become more involved in entrepreneurship.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teaching, learning and sharing experiences to add into a cycle that creates more teaching, learning and sharing of experiences that do the same.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share experiences, conversation and maybe even a thank you bottle of wine!

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, France, Haiti, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States