Hello!!

I am foremost a very nationalistic Iranian who absolutely loves discovering new cultures and sharing a whole ton about hers! I was partially raised in Tehran, Iran and then partially in Orange County, California and now I live up north in Berkeley, California. I am an undergraduate sociology major at UC Berkeley who is going abroad for 6 months conducting raw journalism but coming from a working class, under-the-poverty line family so I am desperately in need of places to stay!

Things that best describe me so if you're interested you can read further: a first-generation immigrant, a workaholic, an activist, motorcycle rider and proud owner of Harley Sportster, a direct person both politically and socially, hospitable, spontaneous and not afraid to make a fool of myself dancing, singing, making terrible jokes (you name it), a fanatic for real education, absolutely in love with learning new languages, a real sucker for a good book, a damn great baker but an aspiring cook, can't garden but really want to learn, Persian-rug weaver, and an unapologetic natural curly girl rocking a mini-fro!

I came to the US as a refugee when I was 8 years old. I am super nationalistic because I am very proud of my heritage and its history and its extremely rich culture that I am eager to share through dancing, Rumi and Hafiz poetry, lots of Irani music, and real-life stories of the war, revolutions, and green movement.

I am definitely a workaholic as I worked 3 full-time jobs while going to community college at age of 16 so if you need some help around the house in exchange for your loving hospitality (and some meals would be greatly appreciated), I am totally up to and an extremely fast learning. I can practically pick up any skill as I think it is so beautiful to be a well-rounded, multi-faceted human being that has lots to offer and share with the world!

I have been politically involved since I was 13 years old! Going to protests, organizing rallies, speaking out against authority when I am standing up for voiceless folks! I am very anti-war and anti-colonial. I do not have a problem speaking my mind even though I have controversial beliefs but if you want to start a discussion with me, please mind that I am a fellow traveler and would like to feel safe where I am staying, so approach at your own risk and with consideration for my mental comfortability. Vulnerability is a beautiful thing because it shows the amount of trust you have in someone, don't break that (:

Yes, I ride a motorcycle. Yes I would love to go canyon riding if you gotta spare motorcycle if y'all just want to go on a ride together on one motorcycle! My Harley Sportster is my baby and I can share my near-death experiences and stories with you all night long!

I am 100% an extrovert. I love people and meeting new folks. I get my energy just being surrounded by others. I hate being alone and so if you'd like a nice friend and companion, I'm your gal! Definitely up to in-the-moment adventures and trips! I can respect your personal space but I was pretty much raised in a culture where being close to folks (physically) signifies hospitality and comfortableness! I love to put on some music, sing along, and dance like I don't care if anybody is watching! I would absolutely love to teach you how to dance various kinds of Iranian dances but I want to learn how to dance from your ethnic culture as well! I kill for wholesome nights of story-tellings, playing instruments and music, and talking with no filter to the point where you feel like you've known someone for 20 years even though you met them that night!

But I am not always a party, upbeat girl like that! It gets a bit draining sometimes so to recharge, I love to get lost reading books by the shore, in a cafe, by a fireplace, anywhere! Usually when I want time to think about a difficult situation, I like to weave Persian rugs (I can show you pictures of some I did)!

I love to bake and can bake you some fantastic, mouth-watering Persian/Iranian sweets that you'll never want me to leave again! They take hours to bake but that's when you know how much dedication went into it. But I can also cook 2 or 3 very traditional Iranian dishes!

One of my goals in life is to learn 7 languages fluently because my expected career upon graduation is to work to prevent international organized crime and human trafficking. Because of the stress and high-pressure situations and parties involved I think it is crucial to build rapport and establish some feeling of security, safe haven, home, comfortability (whatever you want to call it) with victims. I also do A LOT of human rights work right now for conflict regions globally and being able to communicate with natives allows for them to trust you more easily and allows them to feel understood. This is why I would absolutely APPRECIATE you greatly if you want to help me better my Spanish and/or Arabic!

I am unapologetic curly girl who loves her mini-fro! Why? Because I spent years hating my natural curly hair and trying to change myself to fit European beauty standards! But not anymore! Boycotting heat damage and embracing the natural locks! I can definitely teach you how to take care of your naturally curly hair if you feel frustrated with it and I will show you the beauty and uniqueness of your curls. I also love braiding hair and know some intricate hair designs (I used to style people's hair for local music videos and weddings, obviously nothing professional but still good enough that people requested my services)!

Last but not least, definitely a hopeless romantic! Need I say more? Feel like this is pretty self-explanatory but if you're looking for a night full of laughing where you wake up with your cheeks hurting, just ask me to share some stories...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing for 2 reasons!

One I have stated in above paragraphs: raw journalism capturing and working with human rights organizations for purposes of pure interest and kindness and not looking for anything in return (hence why I am not being payed or offered a place to stay).

The second is much more IMPORTANT! In search of the hospitality which seems to be escaping us in this modern age. I come from a country, Iran, where hospitality is a the heart of our culture. One thing I will never forget no matter how old the stories get, are those of folks who travel for a living. You have no idea how many blogs/reports of life-long travelers I have read where they mention that of the over 100 countries they've been to, Iran has been their favorite solely because of the sincerity of the locals. Iranian people are full of warmth and hospitality, the traveler said that he, clearly an American, was on a bus stressed out about something when suddenly the old Iranian women sitting behind him tapped his shoulder and handed him her cellphone. On the line was her son who spoke fluent English and relayed the message that his mother saw the worried face on a foreigner and got worried herself for his safety and comfortability and would like to invite him over for some hot tea and dinner and if he doesn't have a place to stay that night, he could stay with her.

That story is why I want to couchsurf. I want to believe that people like that exist all over the world. I want to remind myself of how much hospitality and love still exist in this world. Couchsurfing is a place where I believe you can nurture and foster caring for strangers the same way you care for family!

Interests

• poetry
• dancing
• baking
• politics
• reading
• hiking
• languages
• nature
• biking
• activism
• kindness
• learning
• learning new languages
• hospitality
• culture sharing
• learning cultures
• singing in the car
• singing and dancing
• genuine people

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
Irani songs!! Some of my favorite artists are Siavash Ghomayshi, Ebi, Dariush, Shahram Shabpareh, Mansour, Farshid Amin, Andy, Armin Nosrati (Baba Karam!!), Moein, Kourosh Yaghmaei (Irani psychedelic rock!!)
I also enjoy Spanish music of all kinds. Currently my favorite band is Los Espiritus and my favorites song of theirs is Luna Llena!!
As for English music, hmmm.... Anything but country?

Movies:
Khake Sorkh (old Iranian TV show) - makes me cry at every episode
Truman Show
Cable Girls
La Casa de Papel
The Great Gatsby
The Matrix

Books:
Island - Aldous Huxley
1984 - George Orwell
We - Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Soft Cage - Parenti
States of Injury - Wendy Brown
Politics as a Vocation - Max Weber
Capital, Early 1984 Manuscripts, German Ideology, Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My first job when I was 16 was at Starbucks. Each night they would throw away 2 trash bags of "expired" but perfectly edible food. Each night (whether I was finishing up a shift or not), I would go take those 2 trash bags, heat up ALL the food, label them for dietary reasons, and go to my nearby city that had a massive homeless problem and pass it around. The folks got used to it and would expect me to come and the homeless population of over 50 in one little street and I became friends and I would look forward to it every night!

I also worked at a restaurant who hired many undocumented folks. I got fed up with them not getting tipped out at the end of the night and so I risked my job 3 times, I got "fired" three times but each time they asked me to return and I essentially went on strike until they would get tipped out. My legacy lives on because now those folks get tipped out as they deserve!

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Canada, Chile, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Iran, United States