ABOUT ME

Both 19, both from the same part of England, we're travelling together this summer in Finland for two weeks and then China for a month... and then we'll have to part, as our lives take over in different ways. So we're going to make the most of this summer in the meantime. :)

Tom: Normally here I'd reel off some statistics or facts about myself, but after reading some other profiles I was reminded of why I'm here on CS in the first place:

As a young boy I received a light-up globe one Christmas as a present. This was to be the best present I've ever received. I remember clicking the switch on and off and excitedly watching the miniature world transform in technicolour, and ever since I've longed to experience the world in its full-scale. I still feel like that child, spinning the globe and pointing at the orange of Mongolia and green of Brazil, wanting to go to all the places my finger landed on. What lies there, covered over by the block colours and city name? Who and what lives underneath? I have an urge to find out, now that I feel I finally can. What else I want to do with my life, I don't really know. But I do know I want to see and smell and taste and hear and touch the world around me; doing that makes me happiest.

Sophie:
No matter where you have been already, I feel that there are always so many new experiences that we are always new to the world. And that's quite exciting [= Especially as I love to hear and tell stories, travelling and meeting new people always satisfies this. That aside, I like experiment with pictures and words, enjoy greatly time spent with nature and try to dance and sing as often as I can (when no one is there, of course q=). I wish I could horse-ride often. And archery. Food, language, music and color are perhaps my main passions, though. And feeling that I could always do something more...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Tom: I've not had any CouchSurfing experiences before, and I hope that doesn't put people off meeting me. I was recommended this by a couple of friends of mine after they came back from their trek through Ireland. I really admired them for getting out there and travelling knowing that there would be risk and adventure and independence. When they came back and told me about the places they'd stayed in and who they'd met I was so impressed that I wanted to do it all myself ... now here I am. :)

Sophie:
I haven't either, but staying in a Hong Kong hostel this year and meeting all the other people as they passed through on their own journeys was so much fun, I thought this would be a very good idea [=

Interests

• singing
• coloring
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• reading
• traveling
• music
• archery
• languages
• statistics

Music, Movies, and Books

FILMS

Tom: All sorts, especially good dramas. I suppose you could say I like 'world' films, especially 'serious' Chinese films (I'll admit it: I have a crush on Gong Li).

Sophie:I'm really bad at getting round to watching films. Favourites include Gladiator, Princess Mononoke, The History Boys, Breakfast On Pluto, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Intermission... okay, if Cillian Murphy is in it, I'll watch it.

MUSIC

Tom: Again, I suppose I like 'world' music. This can range from pop music to folk music to a bit of rock music. Sadly, I can't say I yet like the sounds of Beijing opera, haha.

Sophie: According to last.fm, things like Muse, Beck, Emilíana Torrini, Kasabian, Fever Ray, Florence + The Machine, The Dø, Mr. Bowie, Soundtracks, Vienna Teng, Robots in Disguise, sohodolls, Håkan Hellström- actually lists always leave out too much haha.

BOOKS

Tom: I don't read as many books as I would like (but I'll read everything else around me), but my favourite books include those by Murakami, To Kill A Mockingbird, Red Sorghum, the Harry Potter series, travel journals and guides, and recipe books.

Sophie: The Art of Looking Sideways is fantastic. Assorted poems, Murakami, Neil Gaiman, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, art books, folk stories and ones with lots of animals in

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sophie thinks the millions of blue fireflies in Waitomo Caves, New Zealand is probably one of the most stunning sights she's ever seen.

Teach, Learn, Share

Tom: I am a jack of many trades when it comes to languages, and yes, a master of none. Learning languages is a passion, and I love to speak and share the smatterings I've picked up of Finnish, Mandarin Chinese and French. I'm happy to teach a bit of English too of course, on a casual basis.

I'm also a big fan of cooking (and eating, haha), so I'd be delighted to learn a few recipes from others and share a few tips of my own.

Sophie:
I constantly feel a need to improve what I do, but I enjoy sharing what I do know. So I can probably help a little with English and German, and perhaps random things such as planting seeds, fletching arrows and assorted general knowledge (usefulness debatable).

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, China, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom