Hey all! I'm Anıl. I am a molecular biologist by training and a Ph.D. student. I am so enthusiastic about meeting new people, especially conveying international culture exchange. I'm into music, playing several instruments. Sometimes I am holding gigs with friends at local pubs and bars. I always adore time-stopping conversations. Experiences that I get via knowing new people are genuinely precious for me. Details ahead; I only am looking to spend some quality time with my friends and by leaning onto my hobbies.

I am the eldest son of a journalist woman and a freelancer man. I have a six years younger brother in Law School. I was born in Bursa/Turkey in July 1995. I spent the entire time of my life at Bursa until I set sails to İzmir for undergraduate school. There are lots of things there for me to cheer and remember for. Hence, Bursa has a very special place in my heart.

A big portion of my life at Bursa is filled with football. I played for a youth squad until the middle of high school. I had some injuries and had to decide before the crossroad of my life. Then I chose to lean onto academy and pursued a career as a scientist. I had a good chance to discover what I want to do in life during that period. Thus I can proudly say that I desire to be an educator after I achieve adequate scientific improvement. Doubt that it will ever be adequate though. It is an endless path.

I hope that I will be able to help people on the scientific ground to achieve their goals and dreams through the help of education. The perspective is that decent guidance can overcome many deceptive consequences. Education is not only teaching stuff. It is more like aiding people to find themselves systematically. I think it is an honorable path to follow and having this kind of motivation to become at the position you desire makes you more eager to reach your goal.

Science is, obviously, a big part of my life. I had no idea when I was in the earlier days of high school. I always had an interest about documentaries and knowing some details about biology-related stuff but I never had the idea of making it into a career. Of course, that changed as soon as I decided to go for academic, after the serial injuries I had. That was when I started to learn some deeper and focused on science.

Molecular biology was merely a tool for me at the beginning. Of course, I was always interested in it but I was planning on going for teaching after I graduated. At first, I wanted to have some deep knowledge to teach, not only limited to biology and also not exclusively on molecular biology. I think I am still in the right direction. But it is not for “only teaching” anymore, science was tougher and more attractive than I thought! The things that I can consider as contributions are the building blocks of my life. Science is a big part of it. It is more than just researching or observing things. It is an ideological phenomenon. I am glad that I adopted the idea as soon as I started my higher education.

Since the first day of college, I dug deeper and learned more about plant molecular genetics. It was a fascinating world for me and I decided to go for plant-related subjects for my further inquiries. I planned every academic move according to my enthusiasm for plants. I started working on plants as an undergraduate researcher and allocated my internships on plant-related subjects. It started to grow in my mind day by day as the topics that I focus on shrank. When I was doing my internship, I developed a strong interest in forest genetics. The idea is still with me even though I am researching another subject at the moment. I really would like to study forest genetics in the future. That is for sure. I am currently studying molecular nutrition with Dr. Şükrü Güleç and having a chance to work with such an open-minded scientist is a privilege. I feel belonged. Thus my motivation in climbing day by day, that promotes my eagerness to contribute to this field.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to meet people around the globe. I want a cultural exchange that I can be amazed. The friendship potential from meeting new random people is what governs me to use Couchsurfing.

Interests

I can get happy with very small things. It can be a word from someone or a smell that reminds me of things. Leaning onto my soul makes it even better. When I do something that I truly desire, I am happy. Everyone is like that. I just try to make it simpler. When hobbies are just things that you want to do only for yourself, it is much better and they make me better.

As I pointed out, I am into football. It was a passion back then, it still is but on a smaller scale. It was sort of disappointing that I had to stop playing it on the way of professionalism but I got over it in time. I still play with friends occasionally though and watch it ceaselessly. I am glad that football was and still is a part of me.

I met with music when I was seven years old. I was trying to learn how to play guitar, mostly because of my parents led me to, but apparently, it was not meant for me back then. After five consecutive years, I decided to stop playing. Although, I was listening to music all the time. Music got matured in me as I grew older and in high school, I decided to take my guitar back in my hand. I am playing the guitar since then. I started to have gigs at local places after I got to a certain point. I can also play the piano. I am enthusiastic to learn more and more about music and other instruments. Music is much better when you start to understand it.

I am into video games since I was a little kid. I am still playing video games as a part of my life, just more responsibly than when I was a kid. The most satisfying video game genre for me is Role-Playing Games. I can spend hours when it comes to create a character and wander into the lands of the unknown, on discovering side stuff or getting knowledge of the non-playing characters in-game. My favorite series is The Elder Scrolls. I love fantasy lore since I know myself. The exotic way of dwelling into the lore is always attracted me to discover more. I think my interest in literature comes from the idea of fantasy lore as well. I find The Lord of The Rings extraordinary for example, not in a nerd hype kind of way but a way that it shows itself in a people. It is more than just a fantasy book, it lures you and teaches. I love to learn new things as you live your daily life. Movies are also a way to achieve that in which I do watch movies with joy and high frequency. All these hobbies also come with side stuff. After I decided that I am adequate in English to understand and interpret appropriately, I started playing and watching everything with Spanish subtitles. I started following the Spanish speaking community on social media. That helps me learn the language. I am happy and feeling serene to improve my skillset via my hobbies.

• education
• movies
• video games
• music
• forestry
• languages
• science
• language exchange
• forests
• cultural exchange
• biotechnology
• paganism
• life sciences

Music, Movies, and Books

"Favorite Music" is a blunt end. I love 80's rock culture, the Baroque era of classical music, and spiritual pagan music... Although, When the Children Cry of White Lion, for example, is the song of me and my lovely girlfriend. Or to give some example; I cannot get tired from the solo of High Hopes from Pink Floyd.

Movies are deep journeys for me. I can state that Mulholland Drive of David Lynch gave me goosebumps. Unorthodoxly, I love romantic comedies of any kind. I suppose the only thing that I don't watch is horror movies. Just not to confuse; I adore decent thrillers like No Country for Old Men.

Lord of the Rings, by far, is my favorite book. Though, It has been quite a time since I read any novels. I rather decide to read philosophy, history, or any relevant book that is based on good references on a solid educative idea. Basically, I expect from a book to teach you something, not in a literature way but the deductive way.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Seeing the Northern Lights.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I don't really know if someone can tell beforehand such a thing. Sharing is something spontaneous. I am not sure about the content of sharing you will get from me on your adventure but I can assure you that I will be as free as it can get to convey my experiences to you in the best way possible.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, Latvia, Sweden, Turkey