CURRENT MISSION

After traveling and living in Australia and New Zealand for nearly two years, I will be spending some time in Taiwan till the end of 2016 except for a month in India from November.

I will be focusing on practicing yoga and some indoor bouldering to stay fit for my next trip to South East Asia in January. If I get a chance I would love to check out Long Dong for the climbs there.

ABOUT ME

Born in Arizona, USA and raised in Taichung, Taiwan. I finished my studies in Ecology and Marine Science at Boston University and worked for a few months for the National Park Service after graduation.

I'm a rock climber, yogi, photographer, traveler, and a happy tramper.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I enjoy meeting people and making new friends, especially people who like to share their stories and keen to have cultural exchanges. I would love to travel more and meet locals who are willing to show travelers the cities they live in - and vice versa, I'd love to show YOU my city when you visit.

Interests

Nature. Outdoors. Food. Coffee. Live, Laugh, and Love.

I love the outdoors - hiking, jogging, cycling, yoga and rock climbing are the more regular activities that I do. I enjoy snorkeling and would love to try many other outdoor funs!

I love cooking, baking and enjoying good food. When in a city, I often go explore local coffee shops. I'm really keen to try local food when traveling (even when I might not like it).

Photography has been a large part of my everyday life - documenting the little things, making memories of people around me, and capturing amazing things I see during my travels. Lately I've been taking less pictures because I want to live more in the presence. Being a photographer can be lonely sometimes, but I'm trying to find the balance.

• photography
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• baking
• yoga
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• snorkeling
• rock climbing
• ecology
• languages
• marine science
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to all kinds of music (except for heavy metals) and my favorite is Indie Folk and everything acoustic. A few artists that I've been listening to lately include: Ásgeir Trausti, Ólafur Arnalds, Ed Sheeran, Laura Veirs, The New Pornographers, Ben Howard, among many others.

I love dramas, musicals, romantic comedies, ... watch everything but horror movies. Some of my favorites: LOTR, The Notebook, Rent, Les Miserables, etc.

Don't quite have a favorite book yet, but a few books I enjoyed are: Shantaram, the Kite Runner, Into the Wild, Woodswoman, Tuesdays with Morrie...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I worked in Yellowstone National Park as an interpretive ranger intern. I spent three months in the world's first National Park and got to work alongside with amazing people and hike/camp in the backcountry almost every week. The best trip was an overnight kayaking trip to Shoshone Lake (the largest backcountry lake in the lower 48 states). We slept under a clear sky that put on an incredible show of meteor shower, and the next day a storm hit as we paddled back - I thought I was never gonna reach the shore!

The most epic trip I had in Australia was rafting down the Franklin River in Tasmania. The 10-day trip included harsh weather, stunning views, incredible wilderness, delicious 5-star camp food (and a surprising birthday cake), unpleasant wet gear, and long lasting friendships.

Other epic trips in New Zealand are doing the Grand Traverse in the Remarkables in Queenstown and having two rock climbing missions that ended in midnight!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you English and Mandarin Chinese if you're interested. I can also share my traveling experiences and the awesomeness of Yellowstone National Park. If you've never done yoga before (or a beginner), I can teach you some basic yoga poses too!

I would love to learn more languages, to cook different cuisines, and many outdoor activities that I haven't had the chance to try, such as surfing, skiing, snowboarding, etc.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good company! Stories about traveling!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belize, Canada, Nepal, New Zealand, Singapore

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, United States