Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My travel and life philosophy is to "allow life to unfold without always trying to figure it out". And to listen to the heart (love) and not the brain (fear). It has been my philosophy for the past year (but i have failed to live by it often) and it brought me the best moments of my life. I am sure, that is the way the world works. To allow the next moment happen. Always a joy to talk to like minded individuals.

Other than couchsurfing, i also want to spend more time meeting friends and experiencing life with workaway and wwoof. I did wwoof japan a few years ago working on 2 organic farms and loved it! for the first time, i considered non Big city living. It made me see how abundant the world is if we use it well.

Also...if you happen to want a baking or cooking assistant, i want to learn from you! That is my passion: food!

I've cooked for all my cs hosts and will definitely do it for you! Nothing is better than cooking with local ingredients and having a great conversation during the cooking and eating.

Interests

My hobbies and skills align with cooking (2 professional years experience), baking (sourdough is my specialty), and photography (i love film photography!). As for hobbies i enjoy but am not good at, that includes surfing, scuba diving, in brush calligraphy, and studying languages. Reading, design, and teaching english are the other stuff that take up my free time.

I have photos on instagram with a link to my flickr if you are interested

Instagram id: louie.simon

• graphic design
• photography
• cooking
• yoga
• meditation
• reading
• traveling
• teaching
• taoism
• stock trading
• baking bread

Music, Movies, and Books

The Alchemist, Malcalm Gladwell books, Tony Robbins books, Wayne Dyer books, Alan Watts youtube
Favorite movies: Inception, 300, Die Hard with a Vengeance, or anything with Leonardo Dicaprio

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The kindness of strangers and how 2 people can come together in this small world are the most amazing and fun things in this adventure we call life. And it is why i continue to travel.

Kindness story:
In Dalat, Vietnam, heavy rain, dark, cold, dripping wet and just lost my 2 friends, and then my tire popped. I lost the key to my scooter 1 hour before (friend was able to use his key to turn on my ignition) so i had no way to get to any of my possessions in my scooter compartment.

I was stranded unable to go far but with the ignition on. I had no money, could not speak vietnamese and had no idea in which direction my hostel was. I even forgot the name of it.

So...i keep up a smile and walk into the first thing i see which is a cafe. Talk to the first person i saw which turned out to speak english. And in the next hour, i was taken care of like a friend of the owner and the customer. Free tea, the best vietnamese coffee i had in vietnam, great chat, a call to my scooter company, and a ride from the scooter guys back to my hostel.

It taught me a great lesson about the kindness of people. I had nothing. I literally should have been super worried but i just went with the flow and smiled and acted respectful and from that, I was given such kindness. This world is amazing!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Oh. Did I mention that i am an experienced cook, baker, and english teacher?

I would love to teach and practice cooking, baking, and english with you. Sorry if this doesn't sound modest but, they are my natural talents. They come easy to me and i really feel alive and energetic when i do it. Please allow me to share my passion with you!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Japan, South Korea, United States