Hello lovely people,

Call me Ainu (pronounced as 'eye-nuh') I'm originally from the sunny tropical land of Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur to be exact) but currently residing in Manchester, UK to pursue my postgraduate studies in MSc. International Development: Poverty, Inequality and Development studies. It has been a dream come true but sadly the pandemic took away some of my student life experience here in the UK :( Nonetheless, I'm trying to make the best out of it and look on the positive side cause you only live once!

Before coming to the UK, I have spent almost 8 years working in the education scene - from starting off by becoming a teacher teaching in one of the most challenging schools in the country to working in the non-profit sector as a programme manager to co-founding my own organisation later on. I am passionate about education and everything that goes with it; make it teaching, volunteering, or working with children on its own. Out of curiosity, I went out to travel for 2 years back in 2016-2017 to discover education in Europe and settled as an au pair with 3 families in France, UK, and Italy. I discovered so much of life, culture and valuable experience in those trips that after coming home, I did another exploration travelling through Indonesia in 2019 for 2 months by land from Bali to Jakarta, visiting schools around the region and meeting up with ground-up NGO's to discover more about education initiatives.

Travelling is part of me, if I can live my life just by travelling alone, I'd be the happiest person alive! Although I like the idea of it, I still love my job and what I do - it makes me feel 'complete' in a sense. Travelling on its own makes me feel alive, while my job gives me the fuel I need to live through my days. I have been an avid solo traveller since 2014, exploring places by myself - it's the best kind of travel I think as you get to know people and places around you while you yourself is learning about life.

Personality wise, I am a very easy-going person with lots of smiles to give! I go with the flow when I travel and usually don't have a set agenda on my list, but happy to improvise and make plans when needed. I'm not after the numbers of countries most visited like a lot of people put on their profile, but rather the numbers of countries I truly able to connect with. I can say proudly that every single country I've been to, I've experienced the essence of it, and that's a better way of travelling in my book.

p/s: I am fully vaccinated too! (my second dose was in May 2021).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Hm, where do I begin? It all started when I did my first solo backpacking trip to Indonesia back in 2014. It was the first time I break my comfort zone and true enough, I met a lovely travel buddy through the hostel I was staying in. That was my initiation - I got introduced to the world of Couchsurfing and after that, I braved myself to try out my first experience and boy, I never stopped ever since!

If you can tell by now, I'm those people who still believe a little act of kindness goes a long way! I think cs is more than just hosting people, it's a way to open your heart to others by sharing your experience, lifestyle, culture, and if you're lucky - food! When I travel, I look for those uncharted routes on the map, trying to connect with the locals as much as I can. For me, travelling is all about widening your view and opening up your horizons, it's the people that make the experience worth remembering. I must say that I do not look for the number of countries I've been to, but truly the number of countries I truly able to understand the people.

If I ever get hosted by you, you'll get a lifetime ticket to be hosted in my place back home in Malaysia! (or Manchester for the moment)

Interests

Education and teaching is my passion,
While traveling around the world taught me a lesson,
I enjoy adventurous activities to get into action,
like hiking, bungee jumping (on my list) - oh that will be awesome!

I'm not into parties, they drive me crazy
Instead I like lounging on the couch enjoying a movie
Learning new languages makes me happy,
Make it French, Italian or even Russian - give it to me
Good food makes me cheery,
Leave a touch of your home country, your journey, come share with me
and yes you figure out I love poetry!

• culture
• poetry
• traveling
• languages
• volunteering
• solo travel
• adventure travel
• ultimate frisbee

Music, Movies, and Books

The Kite Runner by Khaleed Hosseini
Incendies by Denis Villeneuve - a bona fide masterpiece
I listen to all kinds of songs from any languages, particularly indie music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Flew to London alone when I was 16, had £100 in hand and lived there for two months.
2. Received a random VIP invite from a lady on the street to enter the presidential palace on my trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, to watch the inauguration of the new President from up close.
3. Flew a Cessna.
4. Au paired in 3 different countries when I was 26! Life can take you to many surprising roads!

Teach, Learn, Share

Food.Languages.Experience - those are the 3 things I can share with you. I’m an excellent cook especially when it comes to Malaysian cuisine (would love to cook some if I can). I’m a polyglot and speaks fluently in 4. I can teach you some of those too.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Lifelong friendship, wonderful experience of a true local lifestyle or just my stories and the people I met throughout my journey in life so far.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cambodia, Czech Republic, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Italy, Malaysia, United Kingdom