I'm an undergraduate student who's majoring in Economics and Politics. I enjoy writing (I hope to have a career writing Op-Eds for newspapers), reading fiction and history, watching movies (with a particular leaning towards the Iranian variety), listening to Qawwali (a Pakistan form of Sufi music), travelling, photography, eating good food, and, more recently, learning languages.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I started learning Spanish six months ago. As of this moment, I have a decent grasp on its grammar and know a fair amount of its vocabulary, and can therefore read and write without a great deal of difficulty. What I can't do is speak fluently, and the reason is that I've haven't immersed myself in a Spanish-speaking community. Therefore, I want to spend a week in Madrid and challenge myself to a week of speaking nothing but Spanish. I know a week isn't enough time to achieve fluency, but at least my spoken Spanish will improve. It'll also be fun. After all, non Spanish speakers also visit the city seeking a good time.

Interests

• writing
• photography
• politics
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• history
• languages
• qawwali

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Zeb and Haniya
Pink Floyd,

Movies:
Children of Heaven
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Chess Players

Books:
The Modern Middle East
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Notes From Underground

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was waiting in the check-in queue at Islamabad's airport when I saw a man with a Spanish passport. At that time, I was still learning elementary Spanish and couldn't speak it well, but I knew I had to take this opportunity to put my skills to the test. So I approached him and asked him whether he's from Spain (I knew he was, but I had to start the conversation somehow). He replied with a yes, after which I said, "Yo estoy aprendiendo español." And that was that. He seemed happy and started talking to me in Spanish. For my part, I replied as best as I could, though often struggling. But it was exhillarating and satisfying. When I spoke what was to me a new language, a barrier that once existed between me and that stranger no longer existed. Such is the beauty of learning languages; it brings me so much closer to the multicultural world I live in.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Aside from world-famous Pakistani sweets? I can talk day and night about the Indian Subcontinent and Middle East, teach Urdu/Hindi phrases, share photography techniques, and listen attentively to their own cultural experiences.

Countries I’ve Visited

Greece, Ireland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hong Kong, Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States