I moved to the Netherlands two years ago and have tried to explore places with friends and colleagues of various origins. I'll stick around for a few more years so looking forward to some more travel with hopefully more local experiences. On my travels, local food and beer form an especially key element, as does literature.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet people while on the road, especially people who I miss out on in my professional environment. While couchsurfing, I've met some wonderful people so far, musicians, designers, postmen, for some reason many with lovely cats. The people and their stories bring the charm to any place.

Interests

I read a lot (Doesn't mean I read many books, I'm a terribly slow reader) and try to be a pseudo-geek (I wish I knew as much) and try to carry my camera around whenever possible to experiment, and often fail, with compositions and colours, often with some minimalist elements. And I'm not a great cook but enjoy the process. And I take dance lessons sometimes although that's a long way to go. Back home in India, I'd spent a considerable amount of time volunteering with bodies working in the education and social awareness spheres.

• photography
• rock music
• tennis
• renewable energy
• non-fiction

Music, Movies, and Books

I traveled to Portugal recently and picked up one of Jose Saramago's work which I'll spend some time with. Also, on the trip I was introduced to Fado, so I tend to listen to a lot of Amalia Rodrigues these days. It's a phase.

Current favourite books include Emperor of All Maladies, When Breath Becomes Air and Men Without Women. I usually end up listening to rock (and some heavier stuff) on a normal day. Might tread towards some some folk songs from time to time. Oh and the occasional Alt-J period

Other than superhero films, I can watch movies belonging to most genres although I've a preference for drama (think Manchester by the Sea) or anything with amaze camera-work. Follow the work of David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson. Thoroughly enjoy discovering good cinema through long and arduous discussions

Teach, Learn, Share

Could cook some nice Indian food with more love than your local restaurant and maybe I could learn to bake which seems like an elusive skill to me, or perhaps to paint. Yes, food is at the center of the universe

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Netherlands