“For me happiness comes from a combination of many things such as having the independence to do what I please, painting, traveling, laughing, partying, and music just to name a few. A few memories that I associate with happiness - Warm dumplings after a night out in Shanghai, sketching buildings and architecture I find cool, looking at a beautiful mix of colors, and finishing a painting or mural. I’m very happy I decided to leave China to travel since it has allowed me to explore my passions. I’ve painted 14 murals in different countries, I’ve surfed for 4 months in Morocco, I’ve volunteered in Peru, been all over south east Asia and in February I’m heading to India for who knows how long. It’s very uncommon for Chinese people to leave and travel for a long period of time so back home people view my lifestyle as weird or lazy. Sometimes it bothers me but then I remember how boring it was to write my thesis when I was studying biology at my university and how liberating it felt when I left.”

GuoGuo
Shanghai, China