A little awkward, a little weird, but full of energy and creativity. I grew up in Indonesia, studied in Mexico for a year, and currently live in Toronto, Canada.

I am easygoing and open-minded. My friends often say that I radiate warmth to the people around me. I love to be around people and engage in interesting conversations. I have always been fascinated by the people and their stories that make them who they are.

Although I grew up in the tropics where beaches are in abundance, I'm more of a mountain person. One of my favorite hikes was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand. I would never forget how the Emerald Lake glistened under the sunlight - almost seemed too magical to be true. I am often in awe of nature's masterpiece - with this respect and gratitude, I'm looking forward to more adventures in the future.

During my free time, I like to watch photo editing tutorials for Lightroom as I'm currently teaching myself photography. Through photography, I explore places with my lens in my own perspective. It also led me to great friendships since I met up with many talented photographers as I am traveling. If you are interested in checking out my work, feel free to visit my Instagram account: @tian.u.lee

While I'm not traveling, I am a full-time student at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Human Biology and Psychology. My current favorite class is the Neuroscience of Complex Human Behavior. We look into behaviors such as emotion regulation, decision making, willed behavior, and social interaction through a neuroscience perspective. The bundles of neurons that make up our brain seemed like dumb matter if you view them individually; however, it is incredibly fascinating to see this complex network communicating to each other, and as a whole, let us 'be'. Similarly, this network applies to humans and our society. I personally think CS is a great way to strengthen these connections between individuals and together, we inspire.

I also work in a Toronto startup that aims to disrupt the restaurant industry through dynamic pricing. We recently just turned one-year-old and hopefully, we'll be around for many more years! It's whole other story to tell so if you are interested in what we are doing, please check out our website at https://feedbackapp.ca

Whoa! This is a lot of me talking. It's usually not the case since I prefer listening to your stories. Well, I have really tried to share as much about me as possible, so it's your turn now!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Why not?
It's a gift economy that connects people and their wonderful minds.

Interests

• photography
• cooking
• exercise
• reading
• hiking
• learning new things
• meeting new people
• street photography
• singing in the shower

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Movies: Forrest Gump, Edward Scissorhands, 12 Angry Men
Favorite Music/Band/Artist: One Republic, Coldplay, The Script, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, The Beatles, Oh Wonder
Favorite Books: To Kill a Mockingbird, The Help, Harry Potter, Justice, One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have cycled around the entire country of Taiwan (1000k) and fundraised for a refugee center in Indonesia.
El Camino de Santiago (I did part of it, but I will complete the whole route one day!)
Had a project called Postcard Relay - I wanted to connect people through an act of kindness, writing a postcard. I started the project in Toronto, where I printed several of my past photos into postcards. Then, I asked my friends to write something nice on them in order to start the postcard chain. As I traveled, I passed them on to random strangers I met. In exchange, the stranger wrote another postcard for the next person I encountered on my journey. Finally, I sent the postcards back to my friends in Toronto at the end of the trip. In this project, I played the role of a photographer and a mailman who relayed the postcards from one stranger to another!

Teach, Learn, Share

Mandarin, arts, Spanish, food, photography, English

What I Can Share with Hosts

food, conversations, movies, music, stories

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Indonesia, Mexico