CURRENT MISSION

To achieve sustainable and authentic happiness, to enrich my life with culture, to learn gratitude for all that I have, to discover both purpose and passion, to give something back, to love and be loved, and to live "a life worth living."

ABOUT ME

Ambitious, idealistic yet somehow quite realistic, inquisitive, always tired, talkative, respectful, very reflective, and always searching for answers, and for some degree of happiness. Balance is not my forte, my mind is eternally a chaotic space and I sometimes have trouble managing my life and myself. I was born in Canada but my parents are from India. My parents have given me so much although they have sheltered me quite a bit in my life. I want to travel more and live more, but I also want to give back to those who weren't as lucky as I am, and give back to those who have given so much to me (my family and friends). I speak English and French and I am trying, with much difficulty, to learn Arabic. I love to read, but I never make enough time for it. I have one brother and two loving parents and I probably don't value them nearly enough as I should. I also have a very loving warm extended family, staunchly Catholic, and I can't always be myself with them, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have one godson, the son of my cousins, and he is the cutest thing ever.

I am open-minded and very liberal in my values however I am a firm-believer in respect, love, courage and empathy and I think these are all important values that one must strive towards.

I believe that I'm still young and very naive but there is so much life there is to live and I want to live it :)

PHILOSOPHY

If I had to define it, I suppose it would be: Ask questions and keep the mind, soul and heart open to possibilities. Seek adventure, and experience, remain humble and always stay hungry. Seek more, but be grateful for what you already have because it may not always be there. Tell people your truth, and be open to theirs as well. Don't be afraid of confronting harsh realities. I would describe this as my ideal philosophy. Treat yourself with respect and love, and do the same for others. But do not expect the same in return. View the actions of others from their perspectives, step into their shoes and you may better understand why they did whatever they did. While these philosophies are not necessarily how i live my life everyday (I am far too flawed and human to live so perfectly), they are how I would like to ideally live my life, in peace, balance, and surrounded by love and adventure.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Right now I am looking for couches to surf in Cairo, but more importantly, people to stay with. I have never Couchsurfed before and i am excited at the prospect of it. I may, in the future, be willing to host in my apartment in the university town of Waterloo, Canada.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven't any yet.

Interests

Reading, rock-climbing, travelling, adventuring, jumping, photography, eating, dancing, theatre, foreign cinema, languages

• culture
• photography
• dancing
• dining
• walking
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• rock climbing
• languages
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

There are far too many to count.
I am, and have always been, a dedicated and perhaps obsessed fan of everything Harry Potter and JK Rowling. I love the books, the stories, the world, the characters, the movies, the actors, there is so much I love about it.
Another series i love is His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman.
I am trying to read more in the spectrum of international development, and more classics as well.

I also love the Hunger Games, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Requiem for a Dream, the Elegance of the Hedgehog, le Petit Prince, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Eyre, Lord of the flies, Life of Pi, the Great Gatsby, and any book by Jonathan Franzen or Khaled Hosseini

I also love chick-lit like Bridget Jones' Diary and the Devil Wears Prada.

There are far too many movies and television shows to count as well but I really enjoy foreign cinema like Amelie, L'herrison, Pan's Labyrinth, Persepolis, Incendies.

I love most kinds of music, and all musical films (Chicago is my favorite) and sleeper hit comedies like Mean Girls, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Clueless, Sleepless in Seattle etc.

Anything Disney and ANYTHING Pixar (but especially Finding Nemo) and too many others to count.

I'm a big and guilty (not) fan of many reality tv shows. I've watched Survivor since I was five and love it still.

I enjoy most music. I will listen to anything.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

There are many many many but some of the highlights have been:

Camping in the western desert of Egypt with some colleagues, and with bedouins. Sleeping directly under the starry night sky, and drinking tea with bedouins. Embarking on a desert safari. Sitting atop a sand dune watching the sunset and rise, and the strange dance of the sun, moon and stars. All of it made me feel somehow connected to the universe, but somehow insignificant in it as well.

Also, camping in the mountains of Banff National Park and walking around the gorgeous Lac Louise with some very close friends of mine. hiking the mountains with them and sleeping in the forest under the stars, by a magnificent mountain.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would teach three things:

1) Never stop asking questions
2) Take risks, with some measure of calculation. Seek adventure that will ad value to your life
3) Be grateful for all the amazing things you have in your life: your family, your safety, your health and your wealth, your friends, the food you have, be grateful for everything.
4) Keep always an open mind. You probably don't understand the world and life as well as you thinkyou do. But that's okay and you don't need to be fearful of that.

Countries I’ve Visited

Egypt, India, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada