My name is Natasha and I'm from the UK. I spend most of my time travelling and earn my living as I go along. I've spent most of the past few years in India, France, Nepal and Australia.

I'm a qualified English teacher and love to learn new languages. I'm fluent in English and French and I'm currently learning Spanish and to speak, read and write in Hindi. Every time I travel through a new country I take time learn about the local traditions, languages, and customs. I like to learn something new every day.

I go everywhere around the world with my hoop and love to teach others to hoopdance. I'm always interested in watching different types of dance in order to gain inspiration for when I'm with my hoop.

A little note about eating... I am vegetarian and so if we are to share a meal together one day, please keep this in mind :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is a great way to enjoy a genuine local experience. Meeting new people is a common occurrence for someone on the road, but it's not every day you get to spend time with that person in their own space. I think that couchsurfing is a great idea and enables people from all over the world interact in a new way.

Interests

Travelling is my passion, my existence, my life. I am always on the move and love living on the road. I love to explore, push my limits and learn new things each and every day.

My favourite place in the world is India, and whether I am in the country or not I think of it every day. Since I was a child I dreamed of India, and it was like I could hear a sitar playing somewhere in the distance... It's been calling to me all my life. It's such a diverse country bursting at the seams with different cultures, landscapes and people. I love how raw India is - it makes me feel alive and so close to death, all at once...

• singing
• photography
• dancing
• cooking
• recipes
• vegetarian
• politics
• traveling
• teaching
• languages
• volunteering
• disaster relief
• aid work

Music, Movies, and Books

A random selection, in no particular order...

MUSIC

Nina Simone
The Velvet Underground
Amy Winehouse
Hendrix
Ella Fitzgerald
Ray Charles
Amadou et Mariam
David Bowie
Norah Jones
Django Reinhardt
Howlin' Wolf
Alice Coltrane
Dave the Drummer
Chris Liberator
Bombay Bicycle Club
Little Walter
The Cat Empire
Muse
Jamie Cullum
Coldplay
Kings of Leon
Paolo Nutini
Roachford
Billie Holiday
The Libertines
Rajasthani gypsy music

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One??

Spent seven months volunteering in Nepal with a disaster relief organisation

Ran an aerial photography business in Australia - I got to see the entire East Coast from a lightwing aircraft with the passenger door taken off

Hitchhiked over 700kms through Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in the Himalayas

Joined the circus

Built bamboo homes in Ecuador after the earthquake

Rode from Leh to New Delhi on the back of a motorbike

Spent a month being an English teacher during the day whilst being a fire performer by night in Thailand

Service and lungar in the Golden Temple in Amritsar - such a great and unexpected experience

Ran a circus cabaret show in Australia in aid of the Nepal earthquake relief

Volunteered as a social worker and teacher in Rajasthani gypsy camps

Volunteered with Help Refugees, Utopia 56, Refugee Community Kitchen, School Bus Project, Infobus and First Aid Support Team in the refugee camps in Calais and Dunkirk

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm an English teacher and happy to share my knowledge with anyone who wants to learn. I can also teach a bit of French to people and how to read and write in Hindi and Nepali.

I love to dance with my hoop and really enjoy teaching others tricks with the hula hoop. Sharing the gift of dance with people is a really exciting thing for me :)

I am learning Hindi and Urdu, and am really keen to practice as much as possible. I can read and write pretty well in Hindi, I just need to keep chatting to people and hope that they can correct me and advise me on how to say things properly.

I am also learning Spanish as I volunteered for five months in Ecuador and hope to travel more in South America.

I love to cook, but more importantly I love to learn how to cook new things. I am happy to cook something for hosts, but also very happy to help them cook and therefore learn some new recipes and skills.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share many stories about where I have been and what I have done, but I also really want to hear of others' experiences too. I want to know all about lands I haven't yet visited and people I haven't yet met.

If you play an instrument that's great - maybe I can sing along :) I'm currently learning the ukulele... But I won't necessarily subject you to my terrible playing!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Monaco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Ecuador, France, India, Nepal, United Kingdom