CURRENT MISSION
Discovering the world through an open mind. Live to eat not eat to live.

ABOUT ME

Su Family Backpacking Adventurers: http://sufamilyadventures.com

I am an individual that loves adventure and living life to the fullest.

I am studying Kinesiology at the University of British Colombia in Vancouver, Canada. I am hoping to become a physical therapist in the future. I am very athletic and love playing all sports, especially volleyball, basketball, and spikeball. I also love to care for people. I am a very determined individual where if I make up my mind, nothing can stop me!

From 2020 to 2021 for 342 days (despite pandemic), my family and I explored the mysteries of Africa, including South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, and Morocco; the passion of Spain, Portugal; and the ancient cultures of Central America. Along the way, we volunteered and did workaway as a family, such as harvesting grapes and making wine in Portugal, and teaching conversational English to students in Morocco.

From 2015 to 2016, we backpacked as a family of five for 12 months through 42 countries in Central Asia, Middle East, and Europe. Out of 365 nights, we slept 21 nights on the train, 9 nights on the bus, 1 night on the plane, 6 nights in the airport, 37 nights in the tent, 2 nights on the sailboat along the Nile, 42 nights couchsurfing, 25 nights at workaway, 28 nights in inns, 42 nights in hostel/homestay, 66 nights in Airbnb, and guess what 87 nights with friends! We got to know the people of these regions firsthand, as who they really are, and to appreciate the diversity of the culture, language, food, and sceneries.

We got to run out of the ancient gate that exit China to the western world; sit on top of a bus in Nepal; pray and camp on the wild part of the Great Wall; wash laundry as volunteers at the centers Mother Teresa set up in Kolkata; stand at the great divide between Israel and Palestine at the West Bank; hike through mountains of snow to reach a monastery in Georgia; get dunked in the Jordan River where Jordanian soldiers with machine guns are watching on their side while Israeli soldiers with their machine guns are watching on their side; enjoying the day at the Eiffel Tower; and making it back to LA from London after 365 days of the Silk Road Journey. We slept in parking lots, on grassland, and on top of sand dunes. We rode in a hot air balloon and jumped on a running train.

My family and I began this journey in 2008. We decided the best way for our family to connect with one another is by traveling. Our first adventure was backpacking through 8 countries in South America for 3 months on a shoestring budget while homeschooling bilingually on the road, living out of backpackers hostels, bus stations and the kindness of others. Since 2008 we continued to backpack yearly through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Hong Kong, biked around Taiwan, scaled 6000-meter mountains, trekked through river valleys, oceans and seas.

Skills
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- Teaching or conversing in English and Chinese
- Farm, livestock and garden work
- Long distance biking
- Horseback riding
- Cleaning
- Caring for children
- Fitness coaching
- Volleyball and basketball coaching
- Playing piano, guitar, and ukulele
- Working with animals
- Juggling

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liechtenstein, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Taiwan, United States

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Once my family and I saw a touring cyclist couple on the street in our town located in remote rural area and invited them to stay with us. They told us about Couchsurfing and ever since we have hosted many Couchsurfers in our homes.

We enjoyed hearing their amazing stories and exchanging experiences. We often cook together and play instruments together. One Couchsurfer even taught me how to juggle!

From 2015-2016, we as a family traveled for one year along the Silk Road throughout Asia, Middle East, and Europe through 42 countries. We learned so much more about the people from the countries that we visited through Couchsurfing. I just truly love meeting new people from the local culture and being able to learn more about a country through their eyes.

Interests

• cats
• music
• backpacking
• basketball
• volleyball
• food
• spikeball

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite Tv Shows: The Chosen, The good place, This is us, Gravity falls, Money Heist, New Girls.
Favorite Movies: Klaus, The Shack, Men in Black
Favorite Book: Percy Jackson, Warriors, Christ for real

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1) Lived 6 months in a remote village in Yunnan, China where our family of five cooked with firewood on the open floor, had no toilet, no shower place, wash our faces with ice, and bought a horse.

2) Backpacked 3 months in 2008 in South America while I was 6 with my family to 8 countries, while living in 36 hotels and slept 18 nights on buses.

3) Backpacked for 12 months from 2015-2016 through Central Asia, Middle East, and Europe traversing 42 countries, 114 locations, and 58,000 kilometers. We slept 21 nights on trains, 9 nights on buses, 1 night on plane, 6 nights in airports, 37 nights in a tent, 2 nights on a sailboat, 42 nights Couchsurfing, 25 nights working for room & board, 4 nights in a temple, 28 nights in inns, 42 nights in hostels, 66 nights in Airbnb, and 87 nights with friends & strangers. On average we spent USD 6/person/day for accommodation & food.

4) Biked around Taiwan as a family in 2010 for 7 days riding over 660km and biked in 2017 from Seoul to Busan for 8 days, 680km following the 4 river trail.

5) We wrote our first book together as a family about parenting through traveling, called: "No work, No School, A Family's Journey to the Ends of the Earth" published in 2015.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am happy to share my experience in backpacking to 74 countries as a family. I am always open to cultural exchanges whether it is just exchanging different beliefs or food. I can also teach languages( english and chinese), guitar, juggling, sports, and fitness expertise.