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Albany, New York, United States
@julian-wong-5
Member since 2023
Hi fellow Couchsurfers!! I'm a nerd in almost anything (though being an engineering nerd is what makes me money) who loves to travel, and I'm almost religious about doing so authentically! I travel for 3 main reasons: urbanism, transit infrastructure (trains!) and food. I'm currently in the process of trying to ride every single metro system in the world and visit every country, making a ranking of cities based on urbanist criteria as I progress. I'm also perhaps naïvely on a mission to visit a city in every country, but that may be a bit ambitious at the moment (any tips on North Korea??) There're many more perks to traveling, though, as it gives me a real excuse to speak, read, listen to, and write in something other than what I know practically, and meet new people of all walks of life!
Interested in Engineering
Interested in Foodie
Fluent in German
Learning Amharic
Why I'm on Couchsurfing
As I just started my first full-time job, it's gotten a lot harder for me to travel outside of the country, so I've been resorting to weekend trips to cities and places in the negative meridians (the Americas). We all know that American housing and land use costs are through the roof, and so follow costs of hotels and hostels ($30 a night in Budapest is luxury, but $30 a night in Seattle gives you a closet), and I'm still quite budget conscious! I also feel that housing should be a sustainable phenomenon, and sustainability in the modern world often means sharing things. I'd love to host people without needing an entire additional facility to support them, and it's also nice to save some money for more meaningful parts of city visits! And what better way is there to stay as a local than to stay with a local?
Music, Movies, and Books
-My go-to answer to the favorite movie question is Ratatouille! -I've been into RnB more and more recently, but disco, funk, soul, bossa nova, and samba have historically been my favorites. I might secretly be a Swiftie too, but a discreet one. -"The Death and Life of Great American Cities" by Jane Jacobs, of course!
One Amazing Thing I've Done
Gone as far south as I've been in my life (San Juan, PR) and as far north as I've been in my life (Reykjavik, Iceland) within the span of two weeks!
Teach, Learn, Share
I'm quite confident that I can get you proficient in a concept in math or physics within a night (was a tutor for 6 years starting in High School).
What I Can Share With Hosts
I can cook a decent meal! My tastes tend to lean more Asian though, since that's what I grew up with. I can also produce and perform some music! If you're in the market to learn some Japanese or German, you're in luck as well :)
