LATEST: I’ve now settled down for the coming year in Seattle! Happy to meet people and travelers here ^_^

My 2 year sabbatical took me around the world and filled me with so much inspiration and passion for how I want to spend my life and my days. It also made me realize how much I was ready to have family closer to me in my life as well, so I’ve moved to Seattle with my brother and sister hoping to start the next chapter of my life here.

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Nature lover. Creator. Artist. Wanderer. Yogi. Vegan.

A hippie at heart. Leaving Shanghai in July for an indefinite time of wandering and adventures, a gypsy dream after 3 amazing years here. Still making the most of my time in this city and always looking to meet new people.

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The beauty of life is painted by the everyday people living it, I hope to meet the everyday artists of this world.

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All that I hope is to leave this Earth knowing I had made an effort to positively affect a few people on this beautiful planet, while attempting to become more attuned to what is occurring underneath my actions and thoughts; a lifelong study of self.

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Although lacking the accent, I actually am from a simple, small town in Texas. And yes, some of the stereotypes stick–I’ve rode a horse and used a lasso, I’ve shot a gun and y’all was once part of my everyday vocabulary. But those days are past me.

In 2007, my longing to see the world became a reality and I left my hometown of 18 years, never looking back. I spent 4 years in Austin, TX studying Economics and was content exploring the vast intricacies of the US in my free time.

I’ve eaten cheese in Wisconsin, Cuban food in Miami, and crawfish boils in New Orleans. I’ve seen the peaks of snowy mountains, laughed at the “dinosaur fossils” in the desert, and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean on a beach all in one day. I’ve stood in four states simultaneously and slept in every awkward position imaginable–from a chair in the SF airport to the crammed backseat of a car in a Walmart parking lot. There’s still plenty I haven’t done, but these memories did well to suppress my desire to go beyond the border at the time.

However, they would eventually not suffice. After graduating and finding little options for work in the states, I spontaneously moved 7,000 miles away to Seoul, South Korea, where I lived for 3 years working as an ESL teacher. And the adventures continued there. I spent a wild 24 hours in Busan, I rode my first motorbike with my mom on Udo Island, I spent a month exploring cities and regions of the country that few travelers venture to, and I have eaten foods as crazy as pig intestines, fermented eel, and live octopus. However, my time in Korea came to an end and I finally made the decision to try another part of the world, China.

I moved to Shanghai about 3 years ago to work at an international high school. It's been an absolutely incredible experience here, and I've met a community of people I would consider family in this city. If you can put up with the urban jungle, Shanghai has a lot to offer and the international, diverse culture of people in it made it a comfortable home for me.

That being said, my time here is coming to a closer. There's still so much in the world I hope to see.

See my everyday life.
Instagram - @perzpective - http://instagram.com/perzpective/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I enjoy hosting CSers and CSing myself. But also, I like meeting up with various CS members who live in my area or help guide travelers who are just popping in and have a place to stay. CS is a wonderful community, and I enjoy getting to know others inside of it.

So far, CSing has been superb. I've made some wonderful friends through it and have only been doing it for a short amount of time. I'm looking forward to all the future experiences I will certainly be having through CSing.

Interests

Leading an active, healthy, and creative life dominates my everyday passions: yoga, meditation, music, writing, photography (especially using film), drawing/sketching, hiking, trekking, cooking, volunteering, reading/studying all sorts of subjects. I'd say the simplest way to put it is I just love to learn and experience new things daily, as well as challenge myself both physically and mentally.

• culture
• writing
• photography
• sketching
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• cheese
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• reading
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• hiking
• economics
• teaching
• tourism
• volunteering
• beaches
• mountains
• handpan

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to list.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Broke free of the social constraints that are weaved into everyday environments and am not afraid to be who I am, no matter how different that is from the people around me.

Teach, Learn, Share

Always open to sharing from my experiences. Things I'd consider myself somewhat knowledgeable on would be the music world of the US, living in Texas (especially Austin) and South Korea (especially Seoul) and China (Shanghai.) I've spent quite a lot of time in my life as a vegan (I cook a lot), a yogi, a photographer, and a writer and could share much regarding those. I know a good deal about , and continue to study and learn more about living life creatively. I am an strong advocate of environmentalism & healthy, sustainable living too.

(But I do have my vices)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Smiles and laughter, and maybe a story or two.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, India, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, South Korea, United States

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