CURRENT MISSION

To find inspiration

ABOUT ME

Hi!

I was born in Seoul, S. Korea but I grew up in Toronto, Canada.
When I was younger, I thought I would be doing something film-related since I LOVE everything about them, but instead, I'm a Ph.D student in Educational Psychology. My work involves studying bilingual children and their language and literacy development. I love hearing about other people's languages. After my studies, I hope to write a screenplay!

Volunteering is extremely important to me. Recently, I mentored high school students through basketball - I set the record for getting the most free-throws in a row (I can't do lay-ups to save my life, though...). I have also volunteered with children with learning disabilities and provided language and literacy interventions to students from high-risk neighbourhoods.

I absolutely love live entertainment -- concerts, circus, musical, plays, street performance, sporting events...!

One thing I am ashamed of: I don't know how to ride a bike :'(

PHILOSOPHY

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."

I believe that we can learn from every experience in life - whether good or bad/big or small - it's what makes us stronger and wiser. Perhaps we may not realize how an experience can be a valuable lesson at the time, but it always ends up being life's greatest teacher. That being said, never say no to new experiences!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My first couch-surfing experience was in Bern, Switzerland in 2009 -- It was a fantastic experience! I also attended an event for local couch-surfers there.

I haven't been able to participate much on Couch Surfing since then due to my research and other commitments, but I definitely would like to host in the near future.

I definitely hope to expand this section once I start my vacation going this summer (Santa Fe, NM; San Francisco, CA; and Seoul, S. Korea)!

Interests

films, second-language learning, child psychology, literacy-related research, education, cooking, volunteering, hip-hop/rap music, amateur photography, comparing different subway systems, traveling to conferences for free

I always appreciate a good pun!

I do not eat red meat. I used to eat so much meat in my younger days...But I was undergoing a rebellious, experimental phase when I was a teenager and told myself "I'll try not eating a cow or a pig for a week, eh." This was more than 10 years ago and still going on strong!

• performing arts
• photography
• concerts
• education
• cooking
• movies
• traveling
• music
• cycling
• surfing
• scuba diving
• bungee jumping
• basketball
• rock climbing
• teaching
• languages
• psychology
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: goodfellas, scarface, citizen kane, the usual suspects, raging bull, taxi driver, pulp fiction, one flew over the cuckoo's nest, i am cuba, breathless, a clockwork orange, sin city, 8 1/2, the 39 steps, double indemnity, seven samurai, the cabinet of dr. caligari, magnolia, vertigo, north by northwest, rear window, my life as a dog, little miss sunshine, the elephant man, the testament of dr. mabuse, battleship potemkin, the chungking express, the kid, reservoir dogs, tirez le pianiste, hiroshima mon amour, being john malkovich, maria candelaria, the reader, the conversation, wild strawberries, umberto d., dans la maison...too many to name!

Music: red hot chili peppers, the beatles, frank sinatra, aretha franklin, miles davis, louis armstrong, ella fitzgerald, john coltrane, duke ellington, lupe fiasco, frankie valli & the four seasons, the temptations, u2, lauryn hill, diana ross & the supremes, the mamas & the papas, jay-z, kanye west, kid cudi, childish gambino, notorious b.i.g

Books: Catcher in the Rye (my bible), David and Goliath, Outliers, Blink,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

While I don't have experiences like sky-diving, bungee-jumping, or climbing Mount Everest, I can definitely say that one amazing thing that I have seen is the progress that my high school students made during my time as a mentor. Despite all the hardships of growing up in an at-risk neighbourhood, these youths have persevered and stood up against the negative stereotypes. It was so amazing to see these students mature and develop such passion for life!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada