CURRENT MISSION

My mission is to travel meaningfully. I want to make real connections with local people and truly learn about the food, history, and culture of the place I'm in firsthand from the friendly people who live there.

ABOUT ME

I am a 23 year old Korean American guy from Portland, OR. I'm a second year Masters of Public Policy student at Duke University concentrating in Energy and Environment policy, as well as innovation policy. I graduated from Georgetown University in 2015 with a degree in Science, Technology and International Affairs. I created this couchsurfer account because I hate traveling like a tourist and really want to meet with local people, speak with them, and get to know their culture/country through their hospitality.

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is very laid back. My view is that in life, the journey is the most important part, rather than the destination. I want to fully experience as much of this world as I can before my short life is over. My motto is to always keep an open mind and an open heart so as to learn and empathize with people different from myself. I love talking to people and have a pretty wide range of interests so we could probably talk about most things. I'm really into music, politics, history, philosophy, etc...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I am a very flexible person, especially when traveling. If I meet cool people along the way, I love to drop my own plans and join them on adventures. I always want to experience the most any given place has to offer me and to that end I'm willing to spend money and time.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I have just recently started using couchsurfing, so I don't have any stories or experiences just yet.

Interests

Food (I love to cook and learn new recipes)
Music (I sing, play guitar, trombone, ukulele, and drums)
Learning languages (I currently speak English, Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese)
Outdoorsy things like camping, hiking, rafting, and rock climbing.
Traveling the world
International affairs and current events/politics
Manga and anime

• culture
• singing
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• politics
• anime
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• drums
• hiking
• camping
• rock climbing
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm very into indie/folk music and somewhat into Electronic Dance Music. I have very broad tastes though and also love classical, jazz, funk, hip hop, etc... Some examples include the Avett Brothers, Chris Thile, Ben Folds, John Legend, Atmosphere, Rachmaninoff, and Miles Davis.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can sing and play various different instruments.
I am an EMT, a licensed minister, and love to share my cooking recipes.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United States