20 fun facts about me:

1. I live in Bangkok -- the capital of Thailand -- but I don't really think of myself as Thai, since I've spent a lot of time in other countries, and I usually consume foreign media (news, songs, pop culture, movies, etc.) which has shaped how I think and perceive the world

2. I have visited a total of 44 countries (most of them completely on my own)

3. I have been in more cities in Europe than in my own continent

4. I’d describe myself as free-spirited, individualistic, kind, considerate, and a little introverted

5. I once applied to break a Guinness World Record

6. I was born on the first of July, which is the halfway point of a year, since it's 6 months away from the first of January. So, the New Year is also my "half-birthday"

7. I am fluent in English, even though I have never lived in any English-speaking country. In fact, I am more fluent in English than in my own native tongue (Thai)

8. When I was nine, I had to take a mandatory nation-wide English-language test, and out of all the kids my age in Thailand, I was ranked number one in English.

9. My life-long passion is filmmaking. I love to analyze films, and I can talk about movies all day long.

10. Playing chess is one of my hobbies. I am an avid chess player, and I won several chess tournaments in my high school years.

11. I've been going to the gym regularly since 2015. If you can't find me, I'm most likely at the gym.

12. I used to be a really good singer when I was a kid. However, once I hit puberty, my voice changed, and I no longer sing.

13. I only consume two types of meat: chicken and pork. I don't eat beef, fish, duck, shrimp, or any other animal meat.

14. I am a business student who is currently taking a break from school to explore the world and gain life experiences.

15. Despite having travelled around the world and having met tons of people along the journey, to this day, I still have never gotten covid. But yes, I am fully vaccinated.

16. What I love the most about my own country (Thailand) is the food. I know I'm probably biased on this since I'm Thai, but Thai cuisine is my favorite. When I visit other countries, I often search for Thai restaurants wherever I go.

17. My Thai name (เต้) is a rather difficult word for non-natives to pronounce, since it's composed of two sounds that don't exist in the English language. In English, I have always written my name as "Tae" since it's the closest translation.

18. Despite having grown up in a country famous for its beaches, I can't swim.

19. I have never taken any French classes, but I can read French, since I practiced the language by myself during lockdown. After six months of practice, I was able to understand advanced-level French texts and I could even do the SAT test in French.

20. I have spent a week in the world's closest town to the North Pole. The weather was -30 celsius, which was especially challenging for somebody like me who grew up in Thailand -- a country that is super hot all year round. That was the coldest experience of my life.

My Instagram account: @taewithacapitalt
You can find all my travel photos from around the world there :)

Also, if I don’t respond to your requests, feel free to send me a DM on Instagram instead. I am more active there 😄

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To make international friends :)

Through Couchsurfing, I've met people from more than 20 countries

Interests

• culture
• photography
• movies
• chess
• astronomy
• business
• economics
• geography
• history
• languages
• sociology
• travel
• art
• filmmaking
• museums
• galleries
• boardgames

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my all-time favorite movies are: 12 Angry Men, Inception, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Memento, The Social Network, The Big Short, Room, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Interstellar, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Since the beginning of 2022, I've been in around 40 different countries, which is more than I had been during 2000 to 2021 combined!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Vatican City State, Viet Nam