Hi there! I'm Hassaan, a college student who tries to fit in travelling wherever he can! I've spent most of my life in Germany and Pakistan, and I'm always ready for the next great adventure!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing because I believe that this is a great platform to get to know different people, their backgrounds, and their cultures, both as a guest and a host!

Interests

• news
• reading
• cycling
• history
• travelling
• nature
• adventuring

Music, Movies, and Books

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
Forty Rules of Love, by Elif Shafak
Heart and Brain: An Awkward Yeti Collection, by Nick Seluk

TV shows:
LastWeekTonight with John Oliver
The Office
Air Crash Investigation

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I cycled across borders as a 14-year-old without technological aids. Allow me to elaborate

I cycled from the Netherlands to Belgium back in winter 2013 without any smartphone/GPS and with practically zero knowledge of Dutch (the language spoken in the area). I had a "dumb" phone on me (which ended up dying on me), a bunch of maps gathered from the tourist visitor center in town, and a bicycle.

I set off cycling from the quaint town of Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands to the major Belgian port city of Antwerp, but it became dark by the time I crossed the border. It would take me way too long to navigate to Antwerp and catch a train back (I'd promised my parents that I'd be back by sunset), so I went for Plan B — finding the closest train station to take me back home.

I was in a different country, and the Flemish was practically incomprehensible for all practical purposes. Flemish is supposed to be a derivative language of Dutch, but with my pidgin knowledge of Dutch, I was in no position to understand Flemish. A number of people I interacted with to ask for directions weren't proficient in English, which resulted in us using pidgin versions of each other's languages coupled with a great deal of sign language.

The roads were dark and narrow, with cycle paths nowhere to be found, and the night was cold and lonely. I found a station, but due to a weird configuration of the station, I ended up standing on the wrong platform and missing my first train back home. I ended up catching the next one though, and made it back home within the next two or so hours.

I've definitely experienced a lot since that jaunt when I was barely a teenager, but I still hold this memory very dear to me because it was the first time I traveled alone, independently, and managed to pull it off in one form or the other.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share a great deal with hosts :)

I can share experiences and laughter, stories and cups of tea
I can share pictures and smiles, along with some good ol' coffee
I can share my culture without imposing such, and can share my hopes and dreams
But above all, what I can share is my being a guest who doesn't impose or burden, and makes the hosting experience worthwhile!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Pakistan, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Netherlands, Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States