Currently, I am a PhD student, which means I spend most of my time working in a lab--in my case, I do cancer research. But I've always had writerly inclinations, and after I graduate, I want to pursue writing full time. But before settling into a "real" job, I want to go travel the world and do freelance work, and then hopefully get a job that also involves traveling.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love learning about people and experiencing new things! I like Couchsurfing because my own travel experiences are significantly enriched when I'm able to learn about the country from a local, especially if I'm not very good at speaking the language.

Unfortunately, I now live in a shared room in a dorm and in a small flat with multiple roommates before that (because San Francisco is expensive!), so I currently can't host people, though I've met up with travelers from other places, and it was always quite fun.

Interests

My Instagram feed is 50% cat pictures, 40% NatGeo photography, and 10% street art.

• cats
• arts
• writing
• literature
• street art
• photography
• traveling
• podcasts
• hiking
• biology
• freelancing

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite poem is "Gather" by Rose McLarney.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My friend and I were hiking in the Philippines (in Sagada), and on our way back, we lost sight of the trail. For a scary half hour, we tried to just climb vertically through brambles because we could see buildings not that far above us. A few scrapes and scratches later, we finally found the trail. And when we got back to the town, we went into a store and held a baby hedgehog. The hedgehog was the amazing part of that story.

Teach, Learn, Share

My goal is to make at least one international trip every year during grad school.

Also, I used to be semi-fluent in Spanish, but I'm out of practice and don't feel comfortable saying that anymore in case you try to talk to me too quickly.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can tell you a lot about cancer biology, podcasts, end-of-life care, places to go in San Francisco, Chinese folktales, contemporary American literature, the War of the Triple Alliance, what happens behind the scenes of Jeopardy (the American game show), going to school in Nashville, and growing up in Las Vegas.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, China, Costa Rica, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Philippines, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, United States