CURRENT MISSION

'Cracking' China

ABOUT ME

I have been living and working in Xi'an China teaching little kids English for just over 6 months now and I will be here for a full year (possibly more). The job is great fun but they can be little bastards sometimes! I am 22 and consider myself a very sociable, easy going person who likes sampling the delicious food and drink China has to offer, seeing cool places and meeting new people.

PHILOSOPHY

Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. then go and do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I would like to offer up my couch to anyone who wants to stay in a comfortable environment close to Xi'an's city centre. In addition to the couch itself, I would like to, as much as possible, show you around the city and invite you to participate in my day to day activities, whether this includes going for drinks with friends or relaxing in one of Xi'an's parks. Although I am not able to do so right now, in the future I would like to use couchsurfing to find people willing to put me up in the places I want to go to.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None whatsoever! But I hope to change that.

Centres d'intérêt

I enjoy drinking and eating with friends (food and drink is so cheap here the other foreign teachers and I eat out every day), listening and (trying to) play music, exploring the most interesting parts of Xi'an off the beaten tourist track, visiting new places, learning Chinese, blogging, reading, TV and movies, scribbling, taking pictures.

• chinese new year
• dancing
• environment
• dining
• running
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• tv
• eating out
• blogging
• music
• track and field
• parks

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

Too many to list, I love all kinds of film. Same with music, depends on my mood. I do have a special passion for electronic music, especially deeper, thought invoking stuff. I like music that is new and original but at the same time feels very familiar. I am currently reading 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac which I am particularly enjoying, it makes me want to start another road trip everytime I pick it up.

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

For Chinese New Year I travelled to a village near Wuhan in Hubei province to visit my friend Tony. The whole stay was an amazing experience, counting down to insane fireworks at 12.00, decorating the house in New Year decorations, burning money at the family's ancestor's graves. The highlight however was taking part in 'the dragon' - dressing up in vibrant colours, running through the whole village with a huge wood and fabric dragon, stopping at intervals and swinging your section of dragon from side to side making it 'dance'. By the end of the day I was exhausted, sunburnt and had blisters all over my hands, however I had experienced something I will never forget.

Enseignez, apprenez, partagez

I have a basic knowledge of Chinese, and it is improving all the time. I am very keen on getting it to conversational level, and am prepared to learn from anyone to get it there. I have been to a few places in China and if someone wanted advice for a place I have been to I would be more than willing to help them plan their trip. Aside from that, sharing stories and enjoying each other's company is more than enough for me!