I'm currently unable to host, but feel free to message me if you need any help.

ABOUT ME

What I value most in life is understanding.

I think a lot of the division in the world stems from a lack of psychological validation and understanding. As a result, I don't think the most effective way to overcome this division is by trying to convince others of our beliefs, but by building the individual up instead - by actively listening to what they have to say and treating their views as valid. I think that we must do this with ourselves as well: we must listen and validate ourselves so that we can start to believe that we matter. And once we believe in ourselves, the world with all of its diverging viewpoints and values won't feel like a threat, but instead, as an opportunity to learn.

I've lived with mental illnesses all my life, so traveling was never something I thought I could do, let alone solo traveling and couchsurfing. I'm very grateful that I can solo travel and I strongly believe that it doesn't have to be limited to those who are healthy and able-bodied. Because of my experience with mental illness, I'm very interested in psychology, especially how different cultures view and treat mental health.

我为什么加入 Couchsurfing

In May 2016, I couchsurfed for the first time, traveling from Chicago to Washington DC. It was a challenge. I liked that couchsurfing allowed me to meet people who didn't communicate the way I did, who didn't agree with me on many topics, and whose personalities would be very different from mine. I had to find a way to communicate with and build a relationship with them. I'm on couchsurfing because it helps me to understand human interaction.

兴趣

• environment
• martial arts
• philosophy
• psychology
• sustainability
• language
• language learning
• mental health
• homelessness
• eastern philosophy

教，学，和分享

I can cook and I'm always open to learning. I like learning about how food is prepared in different cultures. I'm interested in growing food in a sustainable way and have some experience volunteering on organic farms in the US. I'm vegetarian and I've cooked for a lot of people with dietary restrictions, so I'd be happy to cook.

I am fluent in Mandarin, and can read and write traditional Chinese at a grade school child's level. I am also intermediate in Spanish. I can hold a basic conversation and communicate what I need. I currently am trying to improve in both languages. Because of this, I'm interested in language acquisition, especially when it comes to people with communication disabilities. In the language learning world, there's a lot of emphasis on speech, but not everyone is able to speak. And there are many people learning a second language who are nonverbal, autistic, or neurodivergent in a way that affects their communication. But I don't see a lot of language learning resources for these people. Language is fundamental to living in this world, so I think it's important to be aware of all the different ways of communicating with it. So this is something I can share and practice with anyone reading this.

I play piano, violin and guitar and I compose my own songs. I have a little bit of experience teaching people how to play these instruments. I've also collaborated with other musicians on songs. I'm really interested in hearing music from different cultures around the world. I like hearing the different types of instruments, sounds and music structures they use. I'm open to sharing anything I know about music and learning from others.

我可以与沙发主分享些什么

I can share my perspective, listen to anything you want to talk about, and help out in any way.

我游览过的国家

Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Taiwan, Viet Nam, Wales

我居住过的国家

United States