สวัสดีค่ะ Hi there! Greeting my fellow couchsurfers!

I'm Ink! I'm a language teacher at Chiang Mai University. I'm also a hiker, a pet lover, a yogi, a culinary and art enthusiast. My passion for learning languages and other cultures has led me to pursue my Bachelor's and Master's in language and communications studies in Bangkok, where I grew up.

Last year, I did a year-long work and study program at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, under a Fulbright scholarship and travelled to 9 states (Washington, Portland, California, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Chicago, New York, and Boston).

There, I ran a Thai program for SE Asian department and was taking courses in Asian American studies, SE Asian seminar, etc. Working/studying in the U.S. was a life-changing experience. The classrooms were incredibly diverse, with students from different ethnic backgrounds who are proud to express their unique identities; it really was something very eye-opening. It was my first time living abroad in a different part of the world in a totally different environment and culture. I survived and thrived, and by the end of it, I was ready to call Seattle my second home.

Traveling to a different part of the world and being so far away from home opened up something inside of me. I was ready to embrace new experiences, willing to take on more risks, and dig deeper to discover more about my inner self.

Over the years of traveling in SE Asia and recently in the U.S., I have met and gotten to know many great characters and made amazing friends that I still keep in touch with, and I hope to continue traveling and carrying this journey forward.

My quest for this upcoming year is to visit the neighboring countries and learn their languages, starting from Lao (ພາສາລາວ), Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ), Myanmar (မြန်မာအက္ခရာ), and Bahasa Melayu.

note: Although it appears on my profile that I recently joined the platform, I've actually been couchsurfing for over 7 years with my ex-partner (and still good friend), Jason. You can check out all my past reviews on Jason Kinney.

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

I'm a language teacher and learner, so I want to connect with the locals, and I believe Couchsurfing is a great platform that can allow me to connect with people organically. :)

Centres d'intérêt

• arts
• music festivals
• yoga
• music
• hiking
• history
• languages
• languages and cultures
• musuems
• hiking in the mountains

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

Favorite bands/music: Khruangbin, Grateful Dead, John Mayer, Fleetwood Mac, Jazz, Latino & Pop music

Favorite movies: Stranger Things, Star War, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, rom com, murder mystery, and the list goes on.

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

It is hard to pick just one, so here you go...
- did my Fulbright grant in the U.S. and survived my first winter in Seattle haha :)
- Saw a Grateful dead show inside the Sphere in Vegas and danced at a Phish show at the Hollywood Bowl

Enseignez, apprenez, partagez

Teach/Share
- I can teach you Thai and English and share some language learning techniques
- I can share some of my favorite cooking recipes.

Learn
I see myself as an aspiring anthropologist, and so I would love to learn more about your stories/what made you you/your culture/local dialect(s)/language(s) you speak/fun slang terms/anything you love to talk about.

Ce que j'aimerais partager avec mes hôtes

Thais express our care and appreciation through food. Cooking is my love language, and I enjoy making Thai fusion dishes with whatever local ingredients I can find. I do not usually follow the recipe. So, you can be pretty sure that anything I make is going to be unique and (hopefully) delicious!

Also, I am an English/Thai language teacher and a language enthusiast. We can teach each other our languages and share stories about our cultures.

Last but not least, I love cleaning and washing things, so feel free to let me know if you ever need a hand!

Pays que j'ai visités

Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, United States, Viet Nam

Pays dans lesquels j'ai vécu

Thailand, United States