Hey, guys! Greetings from Starry, a girl from mainland of China. My Chinese name is Xingchen, meaning bright stars, so you can call me Starry. After graduating from a Chinese university of foreign languages and international studies, I'm currently studying translating & Interpreting (Chinese & English) in the UK. I'm happy and lucky that I can study what I'm interested in.
I'm quite independent and brave to some extent, and I like trying all new things and take adventures. I'm not that talkative, but I'm easy and amicable enough to get along with. I also would like to chat and share something with others. If we can become familiar with others, you'll find me sometimes interesting and funny, as my friends tell me. I'm optimistic, friendly with a smiling face. :) I hope in future I can be more curious to explore the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I tried to find a host on a similar Chinese website when I was in university, but I failed because of inappropriate time and other reasons. I really want to have such experience in my travel that I can share my thoughts and have a chat with natives to have a better understanding of the target culture and all of us can enjoy getting along with people of other backgrounds. And it's this point that quite attracts my most.
Besides, as a student travelling abroad and sometimes slone, I can cut my budget by finding a host and spend a couple of lovely days together. We can always see some shining points from others.
I'm also willing to host others and get to know more people. It's also a good thing to show you around where I live.

Interests

I'm not good at singing, but I like playing the keyboard and a traditional Chinese musical instrument, Guzheng, with 21 strings. I enjoy having fun with them and spending a cozy afternoon.
As for sports, I practice yoga but not very professional. I like the inner peace and physical comfort brought by it. I play pingpong, jogging, and badminton as well.
Joining voluntary activities and bringing tangible benefits to others is also part of my life. I really want to make a difference, even the smallest change, to help others.
Travelling is also enjoyable for me. Actually, I prefer travelling alone when I can be free enough in terms of time and sites, and interact more actively with locals. I like trekking as well, especially in some less popular areas. I'm interested in visiting museums (although I'm not good at history) and galleries, especially paintings and performance art.
I can cook delicious Chinese dishes (or Sichuan cuisine featuring spiciness), and I also like making some cocktails, Moscow Mule and Tequila Sunrise being my favourite.

• arts
• culture
• books
• singing
• performing arts
• dancing
• cooking
• cocktails
• yoga
• partying
• movies
• traveling
• sports
• badminton
• teaching
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

For music, I prefer folk music and jazz. I like Song Dongye's songs, a Chinese folk singer, for his songs remind me of Beijing where I enjoy its culture. I like Lana Del Rey, the American singer, I like her voices. She also gave a try to the song 'summer wine, wonderful! Mazzy Star's songs are attractive too.
For movies, I don not like commercial movies that much, instead, I fond of literary and art movies, such as the Painted Veil, the Way and the Big Fish. I also like movies on the road, e.g. Jizda, the Motorcycle Diaries, and Into the Wild.
For books, I like writers who have a calm mind and can grasp the truth (good and evil spirits of humanbeings), like Luxun (Chinese), Akudagawa (Japanese), John Maxwell Coetzee (South African).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I would like to mention the voluntary job I've done in the summer of 2012, as a sophomore.
I worked as a voluntary teacher in a university of Cambodia, together with other 17 volunteers from Vietnam, Portugal, Slovenia and Taiwan. We spent 40 days together in a family hostel, preparing for lessons where we shared lots of things with each others, travelling to Angkor Wat and having dancing party together. It was the first time that I was in a foreign country with unfamiliar faces to accomplish a great job together.

Teach, Learn, Share

We can share our movies, books or travelling experiences with each other.
I'm ready to cook some dishes and makes cocktails to enjoy with you.
If you like Chinese or China, or want to know something about the UK, we can share these thoughts. :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm willing to cook delicious Chinese dishes and make some cocktails for you. And, personally, I really want to get a hint of local dishes and it's better if I can learn from you. :)
I can share with you my travelling experience of some places you didn't visit before.
If you're interested in Chinese language or culture, we can discuss some interesting things together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovakia, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United Kingdom