CURRENT MISSION

I am writing a book about having meals with 100 strangers!

I believe every person has a unique story to be heard. I’m not talented at socializing with people, but I do have a genuine interest in hearing your stories and sharing mine with you too. I am open to talk about anything of your choice- from home, family, country, food, childhood, religion, passions, lifestance, to those high and low moments, to name a few. Or simply, life in general.

I made a movie with people from 100 countries during corona time. We show that there's hope through solidarity of humanity despite the difficult time of pandemic. Watch my movie here:
https://youtu.be/lZfUbyWz6WA

ABOUT ME

I direct movies. I write. I make art. I love meeting new people and hear their stories. They always give me inspiration to make my art.

I want to step out of my comfort zone and meet people different from me. In the start of 2022 I set a challenge to myself- to have a meal with a stranger everyday. In the following six months, I had meals with more than 150 people.
I would love to share with you what I learned so far and and hear about your adventure too!

PHILOSOPHY

Sometimes it's okay not to have your future on the map. That way you can flow wherever life takes you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I do crazy things. I sleep on the train, in a church, and on the street. I visited 29 museums in 3 weeks during my stay in Berlin. While studying in Abu Dhabi, I shot my films in an Emirati student's mansion and persuaded an Indian migrant's small daughter to be the actress.

I make friends with amazing folks: Pakistani migrants who live under a tree, a Bangladeshi transgender taxi, an Egypian fisherman who shared his seafood with me, and a Serbian refugee who escaped from Yugoslav Wars to Austria for a better life.

The world really becomes a smaller place for me. I found common grounds among people around the world regardless of our skin color, gender, and nationality.

Interests

• writing
• movies
• filmmaking
• sculpture
• taichi
• art museums
• tarot cards

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: The Unbearable Lightness of Being/ Open Veins of Latin America/ L’Auberge des Pauvres/ Disparue dans la Nuit/ Jacques and His Masters/ Tao Te Ching

Music: Youssra El Hawary/ Mashrou' Leila/ Rozalén/ Monsieur Periné/ Ataca Paca/ Alexandra Blakely/ Pussy Riot/ DakhaBrakha/ 昏鴉/ 農村武裝青年/ 濁水溪公社

Movies: Man of Ashes/ Metal and Melancholy/ Koyaanisqatsi/ Planet of Arabs/ Children of Srikandi / The Cloud Capped Star/ Cairo Station/ Bol / Turtle Can Fly/ Wadjda/ Delicatessen/ Darwin's Nightmare/ The Battle of Algeria/ Circumstance/ Wedding in Galilee/ Touki Bouki/ Daisies/ Close-Up/ Mondomanila/ Bar Bahar/ Heremakono/Chungking Express/ Yi Yi/ Pan's Labyrinth

Any movie by Alejandro Jodorowsky!!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In Athens, I made friend with a refugee from Kashmir. We visited the contemporary art festival dOCUMENTA and had a lot of fun. He introduced me to a smuggler from Afghanistan, who wanted to sell me a German passport for 4000 euros.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love meeting people from all walks of life, because at the heart of every story is a person the world should see. Let me know more about you!

What I Can Share with Hosts

1. Share with you all stories of laughter and tears during the making of my movies
2. Teach you how to do Taichi, a traditional Chinese martial art
3. Explain the conflict between Taiwan and China
4. Sing a song in Arabic if you want to hear :)
5. Have some deep conversations on any topics of your choice
6. Teach you how to cook Taiwanese food

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Palestine, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Spain, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United States