CURRENT MISSION

"I believe that if you want to find your place in this world, you have to be courageous. You have to be fool enough to travel somewhere new every day of your life. You have to travel through books, through photographs, through your imagination. You must go to dreadful places and glorious places and let them all wrestle inside of your inner fantasies. Vulgar one moment, eloquent the next. You must lurk in the corners of continents, sunbathe in the strawberry fields, climb into observatories, wear flags like hats and sniff cultures like perfumes. You must live from one catastrophe to the next and from hysteria to silence. You must let the craziness, foolishness and madness of your mind mingle and you must make them your life’s message. You must let the trust wash away your fears. And out of the remaining love, you must remake your world. That is how the whole world becomes your place, and you can stop looking." - Rita Maria

ABOUT ME

I'm a fairly laid back and easy going person.I'm more than happy to lend a hand in any endeavor, and I like to support my friends in anything they want to pursue. I have a mildly silly sense of humor and really enjoy experiencing new things. I think my friends think of me as that person that you know would definitely go along if you wanted to try something completely new, or would join if you wanted to go experience something a little outside of the box.

PHILOSOPHY

Say Yes to things

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Hosting a few, Sleeping on a few couches, just bopping around

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

London, Italy, Switzerland, and the United States as well!

Interests

Basic hobbies that I pursue on a day-to-day basis include playing the ukulele, reading, dog walking, spending as much time outside as possible, skyping with overseas friends, and knitting.

When I do have a little more time on my hands I like to spend time with family and friends, particularly my wily energetic 90 year old grandparents.

In the winter I try to get in as much skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating as possible. In the last few years I have buried myself in schoolwork for most of the winter, but I look forward to being able to really pick up winter sports again when university is over.

I also really look forward to spending more time singing. When I was younger from middle school into high school I was invested in the school chorus and drama clubs. I haven't continued either due to the need to pick up several part time jobs throughout college, but I am excited to have time to invest in just singing for myself when I can.

The one hobby I have been able to continue vested in despite school has been traveling. While I have been a Chinese major, my sister has become a Japanese major, and over the last few years my parents have come with us to both China and Japan. My mother's side of the family has this really great tradition where every year all the women get together for a "Girl's Weekend" where we go check out museums and historical sights along the east coast where we live. Hands down that is one of my favorite parts of the year.

Although I am not an overly religious person, I really enjoy visiting old places of worship (as long as it is completely ok that I am there, I am not down with invading or disrespecting any private spiritual practices or overstepping the bounds of any denomination). The energy and history that thrums like a pulse inside beautifully constructed cathedrals and synagogues is just one of my favorite things.

Music, Movies, and Books

I love live music, especially the kind that makes you want to jump up and dance.

As far as movies go there's little that I genuinely dislike. A few of my favorites are The Grand Budapest Hotel, and To Live.

I love books that resonate with me in some deep inner place, especially if they teach me a point of view or opinion that makes me feel like, "That's it! That is how I feel but couldn't quite put my finger on it before."
I also like books that take me to someplace I could never actually be or teach me something about a life experience or lens to see the world through that i could never access otherwise.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most recent experience I've had that was striking was visiting the Great Western Staircase, also nicknamed the million dollar staircase, in the Albany Capital Building. My sculpting teacher assigned us a low-key paper detailing the five story staircase that is one of Albany's least known treasures. The staircase is constructed in several different mediums and attempts to detail the entirety of American history. There's this mishmash of themes and historical references all detailed in dungeon-invoking architecture. It's awe-striking and breathtaking. The kind of place you want to walk through and just experience in quiet.

Teach, Learn, Share

I could probably teach a little Mandarin Chinese, knitting, and ice skating. I'm sure I could teach other things that I know about, but the above things I've actually taught before.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Conversation and a little local history, as well as information about Cape Cod and the surrounding area.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States

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