*I'm currently based in Washington DC.*

Living in 8 countries has taught me that everything has a good side and a bad side. I couldn't choose an absolute favorite, but I do tend to return to Malaysia at least once a year. It feels like home. Right now, I'm in love with South Africa. I'm lucky that I can work and spend time exploring this amazing country.

I joined CS in 2009 and was hosted for the first time in South Korea. I hosted myself for the first time in Shanghai. I've hosted surfers in China, Malaysia, Lebanon, and Jordan. The CS experiences I appreciate the most are when there's a genuine connection, cultural exchange, and human interaction. CS is not about a free place to sleep, it's about seeing the world through the eyes of people who live in a place and having a more intimate travel experience.

Please do note that I have to travel for work quite often and so sometimes I'm very active in checking my requests and messages and sometimes I don't get to it for a while.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

If you want to surf with me:

You must write a detailed message explaining why you want to stay on my couch, and why you think we are a good fit. No copy pasting! I'm very CS retro in that way.

Interests

I'm currently learning to play the Ukulele, and love to do ukulele sing along jams.

Wine tasting is a must in Cape Town.

• writing
• poetry
• cooking
• baking
• wine tasting
• karaoke
• hiking
• ukulele
• food
• language
• poetry slam

Music, Movies, and Books

book recommendations: 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak, The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, Khalid Husseini-A Thousand Splendid Suns, Amy Tan-The Hundred Secret Senses and The Kitchen God's Wife, Victor Hugo-Les Miserables, Pearl S. Buck-The Good Earth, Guy Gavriel Kay-Tigana...

music: If you love Fairouz, we will be fast friends :)I can't think of any singer I love more.

machrouh leila, the cat empire, loreen, utada hikaru, regina spektor, yuna, can bonomo, etc. etc.

Movies...too many to name but I do like the action/adventure genre, and enjoy films that provoke thought while telling an interesting and complex story. And classics like The Princess Bride :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

How can you pick just one?

Teach, Learn, Share

Well I've taught a class on cooking world food for middle schoolers (It's recipes made simple and can be cooked in the microwave)...I'd be happy to share recipes :)

annnnnnnd I want to learn Arabic (and almost every other language), how to cook (while not having to clean up :P), how to play the Oud, and how to sing like Fairouz, and lots of other things...

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Cambodia, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Rwanda, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Palestine, South Africa, Taiwan, United States

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