I grew up in Istanbul, but I moved to the US for college. I study Operations Research and Financial Engineering (basically Applied Math) at Princeton University.

I did an exchange program at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where I also worked at a company for 2 months. I'm a visiting student at the University of Oxford right now. I mostly travel by myself, but I might occasionally have a +1.

I don't have a habit of collecting souvenirs (whether it be stamps or spoons or what have you), but I do wish to collect memories and people from all around the world. Studying abroad, doing exchange programs, visiting foreigner friends, all these gave me an appreciation for traveling and getting to know different cultures. I am not as interested in the luxuries and the comforts of a place as I am interested in the local culture such as the everyday life, the cuisine and the museums.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

After I visited my friend in Bangkok, I've realized how vastly different the traveling experience is when you know a native/local of the region.

In addition to financial reasons, meeting locals allow you to immerse yourself better with the culture, find out the obscure "hidden gems" which you can't do by staying in some hotel and isolating yourself. The experience this way is much more authentic, and that authenticity endows you with a multicultural perspective, helping you understand your own culture better and where you stand with respect to all these differences.

Interests

• music
• history
• languages
• cultural immersion
• food
• different people

Music, Movies, and Books

As everyone says, I also listen to all kinds of music! I do like old rock and blues better though -- God bless Spotify! Some of my current favorites include The Doors, The Rolling Stones, James Blunt, Jim Croce, Janis Joplin, and Buddy Rich. And some all-time favorites include Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, AC/DC, Bowie, Liszt, Brahms, Zaz, and The Velvet Underground. I really enjoy discovering blues/latin covers of popular old songs. Also "Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen never fails to put a smile on my face!

I'm relatively a basic movie watcher. An easy to get me is visually pleasing movies, like those of Stanley Kubrick or Wes Anderson. I also enjoy festival movies, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to claim any authority. Some of my favorite movies are Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Whiplash, Her, 12 Angry Men, The Salesman, Dr. Strangelove, Trainspotting, Moonrise Kingdom, The Shining, and Dr. Strange (I like any Marvel movie, this one a bit more).

As per TV, Scrubs is my all-time favorite, with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog a close second, and more common shows like Sherlock, Black Mirror, A Young Doctor's Notebook, The Office, and The Flash to follow.

Admittedly, I don't read much, but some of my favorite books are The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 1984, The Crucible, and Istanbul (by Orhan Pamuk).

Of course, there are many Turkish artists in music and movie categories that I haven't listed. I'd love to introduce anyone to some of my own culture! I have a good many lists on Spotify that I'd love to share!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've made it to the podium in the United Nations General Assembly!
I've been to the "highest bar in the world", Ozone Bar in Hong Kong!
I've hiked Lion Rock all by myself under 45 °C temperature!
I've played (and won at!) roulette in Macau!
I've seen Les Misérables in Broadway and Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Lincoln Center!

Teach, Learn, Share

I would like to learn anything possible with the local culture - some practical words in the language, some obscure food places that only locals would know, aspects of daily life that *every* local shares. I'm not interested in just the museums, but also special drinks (alcoholic/non-alcoholic, no preference), street food, local clothing -- I still have a pair of tourist sweatpants from Bangkok!

I could teach English and Turkish. I can also rant about differences between the two languages and differences between Turkish, American, and British cultures (as much as I can observe).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Since going to Hong Kong, I mark pretty much every single place I visit on Google Maps. Especially for Hong Kong, Oxford and Princeton, I have a good list of all the places, and I can recommend based on affordability and how much I liked those places.

I can also bring food, drinks, souvenirs from where I'm visiting my kind host, AND (hopefully) GREAT COMPANY.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Macao, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Hong Kong, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States