Hi! My name is Ray. I come from Hong Kong. I was born and raised (for the most of the time) in Hong Kong. Although I have been studying in Hong Kong for the past 6 years at law school, I have lived in various parts of the world! Hence, I love traveling and meeting people with diverse background.

From the age of 11 to 18 I studied in a boarding school in a small town called Dungannon in Northern Ireland. Before that I studied in Hong Kong. After having completed my A Levels I came back to my hometown for my law degree.

In 2012 I went to France for a 6-month exchange. First, I spent 2 months in a French language school in the middle of France in Vichy. Then I spent one semester at Sciences Po in Paris. France has always been my dream country and it still is. There is so much to discover in this culturally rich country!

I also spent some time in Mainland China, mainly in Beijing and Hangzhou. Despite the fact that I am from Hong Kong, there is still so much to learn and experience in the motherland.

Last summer (2015), I went to a German language school in Aachen, located in the West of Germany bordering Belgium and the Netherlands.

Unfortunately, my student life will terminate very soon and this is probably my last summer vacation before I start working as a trainee solicitor in Hong Kong. YET there is still so much more to tell about my life! Please send me a message or even come find me if you happen to be in Hong Kong :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

As I said it is very likely that this year's summer vacation will be my last one, so I want to make the most out of my long-awaited central Europe trip and that is the reason why I am on Couchsurfing :3

Interests

It might sound nerdy, but I do love learning different languages. My mother tongue is Cantonese, but I also speak English, Mandarin Chinese, French and German. In fact, I like to study the linguistics of various languages and discover the historical and cultural impact of these languages.

I have also taken elementary classes in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean. When I have time, I always try to hone my language skills with friends I made during my stays and also via different apps like Duolingo and Babbel.

Obviously, my other interest is traveling! Up until now, you might think my travel experience is pretty much limited to 'popular countries', but in fact I am also very interested in South-East Asian culture. I have Cambodian family background and I am very interested in the Khmer culture and modern development in the country. However, I have only been to Cambodia twice so far.

I have also spent 3 weeks in Myanmar, volunteering as a student teacher in a Street Law programme at the Yangon School of Political Science. During that time I got to know a lot more about the Burmese history, the religious background of the country, the status of ethnic minorities and most importantly the mentality of modern Burmese (young and old) on the much debated political situation in the country!

On the more serious side, I am very much interested in discussing controversial issues surrounding immigrants and refugee law. I studied refugee law in law school and also worked as a caseworker and researcher in an NGO providing free legal and social support to refugees in Hong Kong. I am also very much aware of the current status of the so-called 'refugee crisis' in Europe and I would like to know more about this.

I am currently very interested in and starting to study about the Vikings / Scandinavian culture, and of course, the languages as well!

I am also a genuine foodie! I guess no one would say no to food, but I search for delicious restaurants basically anywhere, not limited to Hong Kong! And being a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) does not stop me from being a food fanatic!

• culture
• dining
• vegetarian
• traveling
• socializing
• teaching
• history
• languages
• law
• political science
• science
• volunteering

What I Can Share with Hosts

Apart from the above-mentioned themes, as a Hongkonger I am very proud of my identity and I can really share the real situation in Hong Kong (of course my opinion is very subjective) which the usual visitor would not normally be able to find out!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cambodia, China, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Macao, Monaco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Northern Ireland