CURRENT MISSION

Learn Korean and write everyday.

ABOUT ME

I'm from a small town in Maine (USA). Currently, I'm studying Korean full-time at a Buddhist University in the Korean countryside, and before that, I taught English at a public school in Seoul for two years. Additionally, I write creative non-fiction and travel-related articles for online publications and my personal blog. I am also an artist. I enjoy painting, drawing, collaging and making installations. In August I'll be moving to Colombia to serve in the Peace Corps as an English teacher/trainer. Yay!

I'm independent, optimistic,and adventurous. Besides travel and art, in my free time I do yoga (Bikram and ashtanga), and I love to read, write and hike.

I love meeting new people!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I want to help spread Couchsurfing's mission by bridging cultural gaps.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Jinling Zhang: 4 days in Beijing, China
Alicia Lin: 4 days in Khaosiung, Taiwan

I've also met up with some people for the day.

Interests

wandering aimlessly and trying not to get lost, reading, writing, painting, sketching, maps, hiking, Latin dance, language learning, art history, trying new things...

• arts
• writing
• sketching
• dancing
• cooking
• yoga
• reading
• traveling
• blogging
• painting
• drawing
• hiking
• bungee jumping
• art history
• cartography
• teaching
• history
• language exchange

Music, Movies, and Books

So many. I enjoy listening to lots of different types of music, including rock, indie rock, hip hop, latin music, etc. I'm open to listening to anything new, especially from the part of the world I'm traveling in.

I also like watching many kinds of movies. I mostly watch documentaries, dramas, independent, foreign and anything with an interesting story. Some of my favorites include: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Maria Full of Grace, City of God, Baraka, Pulp Fiction, etc...

I'm kind of a huge nerd because I love reading, and my kindle is now my most cherished possession. Some of my favorite novels include: The Stranger, by Camus, Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand and Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, as well as anything by Murakami. I like reading fiction, philosophy (esp Henry David Thoreau, and the existentialists) and sociological novels (like Nothing to Envy, a book based on interviews with North Korean defectors.) Also, The Geography of Thought is an excellent novel about differences between Western and Asian thought.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I hiked the Salkantay trail in the Peruvian Andes and ended at Machu Picchu.

I also went bungee jumping in Korea, and thought I would pee my pants. (I didn't.)

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm always up for a language exchange! I will help teach you English, and I would love to learn some words and phrases in your language as well :)

I can paint something for you, or do something crafty. I'm not a great cook, but I can try. ^^

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

South Korea, United States

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