CURRENT MISSION

I'm beginning an adventure. I've been to many different places before, but always with a specific goal to achieve. Now I want to explore the idea of intuition, freedom and observation without judgement. I plan to slowly return home, taking the long way. I will start from Taipei, my home of the past two years, and go west until I make it back to Ohio, where I was born. I imagine that I will encounter much beauty along the way. But beauty only exists because of ugliness, and I expect to find some of that as well. I want to experience the world for what it is.

ABOUT ME

I think a lot. I love to talk, and I especially enjoy laughing. I like to play games - silly games, board games, word games, dancing games - because I like to have fun. I'm leisurely and often find myself sitting in parks reading or people watching, smelling flowers or meditating. Exercising is one of my favorite ways to spend time. I think that sweating is incredibly healthy, and it also feels great. I am normally cheerful, easy-going and well-mannered, although I can be withdrawn and depressive at times, too. I am a curious person and will ask many questions, and I listen to the answers.

PHILOSOPHY

1. Don't focus on sex
2. Pay attention to family
3. Help everyone feel special
4. Believe in yourself

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am looking for places to stay, and friends to show me around their homes and cities. I find being able to put a place into context through the history and people to be the only way to truly understand what that place means. I know that it takes a while to know a place, but I hope that through the friends I meet using Couchsurfing that I will be able to speed up the process and come to know more people and places.

Interests

• animals
• dogs
• writing
• books
• poetry
• cooking
• walking
• drinking
• boating
• chess
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• swimming
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I love to read. And music is very important for me. It would be hard to pick a favorite because as I read more books and am exposed to more music I find my tastes change and grow. Here are some of my favorite of each.

Books: Dune by Frank Herbert; East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck; Siddartha, Steppenwolfe, Journey to the East by Herman Hesse; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami; The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt; The Stranger by Albert Camus; Brave New World by Aldus Huxley; The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith.

Music: Pink Floyd; Kendrick Lamar; Radiohead; Tame Impala; Miles Davis; Jimi Hendrix; A$AP Rocky; The Strokes; Alt-J; Led Zeppelin; Bill Withers; Otis Redding; LCD Soundsystem; Creedence Clearwater Revival; Black Sabbath; Ahmad Jamal; Fleetwood Mac; The Beach Boys; John Coltrane; Beach House; The Weeknd; Beirut; Herbie Hancock; Raury; Chance the Rapper; Coldplay; Frank Ocean; The Beatles; BadBadNotGood; Fela Kuti; Chet Baker; Yusef Lateef; Yellow Days.

I love going to bars to listen to music or sitting in a coffee shop reading.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have been studying meditation and Qigong while living in Taipei. I am far from an expert, but I am happy to share what I have learned. I think they both offer a lot of practical value and hope I can encourage others I meet to give them a try.

I know a good amount of different types of exercises and stretches that I would enjoy teaching others.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Taiwan, United States