I am Ara. I am originally from Brunei (it's a really small country in Southeast Asia. Google it!) but I'm currently studying for my Masters in Istanbul.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To travel to new places, meet new people, and experience different cultures :) I know that sounds totally cliché but yeahhhh...

Interests

I love travelling but it's an expensive hobby (LOL. I am just a student k) so I don't really do it often but when I do get the chance, I make the best of it.

I'm a history buff and I enjoy reading and writing very much. I enjoy spending my time volunteering every week, helping the disadvantaged. I also love walking, observing people and things, and exploring new places and things. I could spend hours just wandering around, with no particular destination and observing and immersing myself into my surroundings and the people around me. And I think that's really what travelling is all about - immersing yourself into a place and the people of that particular place.

I collect postcards and stamps when I travel and from friends who travel. I know it's a bit old-fashioned but I don't know - there's just something magical about receiving postcards. I love how a postcard can teleport me to different places - places I have never been to or even ever heard of. It's the closest thing I have to travelling the world!

• writing
• walking
• traveling
• history
• languages
• reading books
• postcards

Music, Movies, and Books

Hard to pick! Gotta say my music taste is a bit eclectic. I'd listen to anything that sounds good. Some of my favourite bands include Vampire Weekend, Muse, ABBA etc.

I love historical films, cult films, and films that make me think.

As for books, I love classics (Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Dickens, Wilde, the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, Harper Lee...). And dystopian novels (Orwell, Anthony Burgess, Margaret Atwood...)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I survived living in New York City! Decided to spend my year abroad during my third year of uni in New York City. It was tough af but hey - I survived! If I could do it all over again, I would! Living in New York City made me grow as a person. Wouldn't trade the experience for anything else!

Also I went on my first solo trip to Athens! I remember thinking to myself, "What the f*** am I doing? Am I really doing this? ALONE??" But travelling alone was awesome! It's one of the best things I've ever done for myself that I make it a goal to travel solo every few months. I have travelled solo to some cities in Turkey and eastern Europe!

Oooops - that's more than one thing ! LOL.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have been living in Istanbul for over 3 years now and I love walking around the city on my own and I have hosted and showed family and friends who came to Istanbul for holidays around so I pretty much know my way around Istanbul. I am studying Ottoman History for my Masters so I pretty much know the history of many of the historical places in Istanbul. We can spend a good time walking around, visiting places or just sit down, have a drink or coffee/tea and have a nice little chat - whichever you prefer.

I love intellectual conversations. We can just talk about anything really - from your life and your passion (I'm a good listener! Well, at least I like to think I am) to history and politics. I know a little bit of everything and I am pretty open-minded about stuff. Or we can just not talk, if you don't wanna talk (awkward silences are one of the things I'm really good at that I'm comfortable with it. Like Mia Wallace said in "Pulp Fiction", "Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?")

I'm pretty fluent in English (not a native speaker but been speaking it for as long as I could remember) so I can maybe teach you English or practice English with you, if you're into learning languages. I can even teach you my native language, Malay, if you prefer. Heck - we can even practice French, German, or Turkish, if you know any of those languages! I can also share with you the culture of where I come from i.e. Brunei.

I'm not the best cook but I can cook some Asian dishes like fried rice and fried noodles well! I can cook for you upon request (just let me know early about it because some of the ingredients can be hard to find!)

Oh, and I can of course mail you postcards, cards, or small souvenirs as a thank-you, if you'd like :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brunei Darussalam, Turkey, United States