Married to my Korean sweetheart, whom I met through couchsurfing in 2015

I'm forever greatful and happy...

I am an admitted lawyer in Melbourne, Australia.

I have three degrees: Bachelor of Laws, Master in International Relations, and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

I keep a diary, and write poems. I love the sight of books, mountains, forests, coffee, and flying planes lol

I was born in the Kurdish region of Northern Iraq, and left Kurdistan in the year 2000 when I was just over 12 years of age. I celebrated my 13th birthday in Indonesia in the boot of a van en route to Bali, Indonesia. From there my family and I sailed the Indian Ocean on a flimsy dinghy (boat) with 40 other refugees to get to Australia. This journey took 7 days and 7 nights. We were then intercepted by the Aussie navy and subsequently were detained in a refugee camp over in Western Australia for sometime.

Years later I became an Aussie citizen. All in all, I spent the first 12 years of my upbringing crossing Middle Eastern countries like Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and the latter major part of my life has been spent in Australia. Since then, I have lived as an Aussie for nearly 20 years. I also lived in the Netherlands for nearly 2 years, studying international law and interning at NGOs, and 3 years in Korea with my Korean husband and amazing in-laws. In Korea, I studied Korean, Peace and Security, Korean History etc as an exchange student, and worked as a human rights lawyer at a Seoul-based NGO in Gangnam. A couple of months into my exchange studies my then Korean boyfriend asked me to marry him which we also did in Gangnam.

And in between it all I have travelled.

When I was just 3, I walked from Iraq to Turkey for 3 days and 3 nights - without anyone giving me a piggyback or lending me a hand as my parents were carrying my younger siblings.

I have crossed many country borders on foot since then. It inspires me as I get to break the boundaries between myself and the society I cross paths with. Each time I do that, its like a rite of a passage for the hero in me.

In 2013 I walked from France to Spain over 28 days. One of my most memorable experiences! Buen Camino forever!

In 2014, I went to Japan with the intention of walking the Shikoku trail but due to typhoon season I was forced to leave the island. So I made a decision to go to Osaka rather than go back to Australia. I spent a month there, and the rest of the time I went to Nagoya, Kyoto, and Tokyo | In Osaka and Tokyo I did couchsurfing the entire time, and it was the best thing I ever did. I met some of the most amazing people who are still in my life today. I also climbed Mt Fuji at night, with some of the loveliest friends from all over the world.

In 2016, my husband and I biked from Busan to Seoul (600km) over the period of 5 days. We climbed Korea’s tallest Mountain, Hallasan Mt not to mention how many other mountains we climbed each weekend in South Korea. In 2017 my darling hubby and I rode our bikes around the Korean island of Namhae - which was the most dangerous ride of my life. It was along highways, and freeways, up and down mountains, along beautiful coastal beaches and valleys. It was a piece of cake for my hubby as he had once ridden his bike all-around Europe over the span of 3 months, starting from Sweden all the way down and along the Amalfi Coast, France, through Germany and so on. Our love of bike riding was one of our first points of attraction.

From the beginning of December 2018 to the 10th of January, my hubby and I travelled across South India, starting from Chennai all the way to Goa. We took buses, taxis, trains, walked, and biked. It was crazy, and an adventure we will never forget. We saw animals of all kinds. We also went to Thailand and went crazy on the Durian which we love wholeheartedly.

One of my greatest dreams is to sail around the world. Psst: When I discovered most of the world had been discovered as a child, I was so disappointed. Lol I wanted to discover new found land.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because I am so curious about the world! I find everyone fascinating because everyone is fascinating!

Interests

My passion is traveling and learning about the world.

I dance. I walk. I hike. I write.

I used to play kendo.

• culture
• books
• poetry
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• coffee
• boating
• traveling
• blogging
• survival
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• skydiving
• international relations
• languages
• law
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Some of the best movies and dramas I have watched have to be Korean, for instance, Taxi Driver (Korean), The Attorney (Korean), The Tiger (Korean), Hwangjini (Korean drama)
The Kings Speech, black belt, 47 ronin, shine, warrior, the peaceful warrior, the last samurai, welcome, cloud atlas.. K drama (East of Eden), Korean movies, Japanese movies, some Indian movies, old Egyptian films, Charlie Chaplin, some Kurdish, Persian, and I also grew up watching Turkish movies, and Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. That's where my love for martial arts comes from.

Music: Michael Jackson, Korean ballads, World Order (Japanese) Explosions in the Sky, Coldplay... I like epic music, classical music and native music. I also like inspirational speeches.

Books: The Catcher in the Rye, The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure, Tao Te Ching, The Art of War, Birds Without Wings, Boy, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Orange Girl, The Diary of Anne Frank, and the Diaries of Annais Nin, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, everything by Roal Dahl, everything by Nietzsche, philosophy books, novels by Paulo Coelho, poetry, books on Samurais, and self empowerment, self-discovery, all kinds of disciplines. Sometimes I take random courses to learn about something. I'm interested in world history, travel, cosmology, spirituality, different cultures, cooking, mysterious secrets of the world... I listen to audiobooks of any kind everyday.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbed Mt Fuji at night, Skydiving over St Kilda Melbourne, walked from France to Spain, Sailed Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Australia 7days on boat, walked Iraq to Turkey, donkey ride to Iran, lived in intents, seeing the Pyramids, elephant contact in Thailand, horse riding in Munnar, India, climbing Hallansan Mt in chilly Korean wind and storm, riding across Korea

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English, Kurdish, Korean, Arabic, and I'd love to learn about your story, your calling, your zest for life, your adventures, your battles, and the things you've had to overcome, your life lessons thus far, your language, culture, cooking etc. I like to share food, coffee, and laugh about

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share stories of adventure, crazy survival stories of never giving up, humour, dance, friendships, love .. Poetry.. Different languages ..

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Macedonia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Iraq, Netherlands, South Korea