CURRENT MISSION

to learn and learn and learn.

ABOUT ME

I am a Scottish man from Edinburgh who plays fiddle and banjo. I don't have either of those with me, but I did bring an Oud...
So yeah, I'm living in Tehran for a couple of years for study, with the exception of two months next Summer. I've wanted to go to Iran for about five years now, so it's properly a dream come true. Even if Tehran is a bit crowded and polluted I still come back to my dormitory most nights with a massive grin on my face because people are just so nice and Iranian culture is so rich and engaging. I'm just starting to get my head round just how big this city is, and how much exploring I need to do, and of course I want to go to so many other parts of Iran; Shiraz, Isfahan, Kashan, Yazd, Mashhad, Tabriz, Hamedan... the lot! Inshallah :D
Apart from my course (Iranian Studies), and the Farsi classes, I've been trying to work my way through my copy of the Divan of Hafez, and learning a couple of Iranian folk songs on the oud. The songs need a bit more time, but they're a laugh!

PHILOSOPHY

Be nice, let the good things happen; you´ll have a fun time.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've met a lot of great people through this, and managed to host a bit as well while I was living with me mam before uni. She's a great sport :) I think Couchsurfing is one of the most right-minded and constructive ideas of the last twenty years, really.

Interests

I play a lot of music. Traditional Celtic folk, Blues and Country mostly, on the banjo, guitar, violin and harmonica. But I love to listen to all types of music: from Gypsy Jazz to Fado to Indian classical music... everything. Music´s music, no?
Also I love languages, and am determined to get as many under my belt as possible, but I have left it quite late.

I have a smattering of Japanese still from living there when I was younger, but it needs work. I speak Arabic (Shaami; and also working on Iraqi/Gulf dialect), and my Farsi is rapidly improving now that I've finally made it to Iran; switching back and forth between the two turns out to be really hard though! Kurdish might be the next project, having studied a little bit at uni, but I'm focusing on Farsi for now...
In Porto and Lisbon I tried to pick up some Portuguese; enjoyed attempting to get the accent, but I need to give it another go!

...apart from that, keen on Scottish Independence, poetry, and Science Fiction novels. In that order. Heheh.

• culture
• poetry
• singing
• music
• classical music
• jazz
• guitar
• violin
• blues
• sports
• languages
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

The Commitments, Breakfast on Pluto, Black Cat White Cat, The Blues Brothers, O Brother Where Art Thou, Gadjo Dillo.

Thin Lizzy, Gogol Bordello, Seth Lakeman, Eliza Carthy, Flogging Molly, The Dubliners, Dropkick Murphys, Fabrizio de Andre, Gerry Rafferty, Aghassi, Googoosh, Darioosh, Nazem al-Ghazali, Ilham al-Midfa', Feiruz, Ziyad Rahbani, Shooglenifty, Afro Celtic sound system, Fairport Convention, Wardrune.

The Old Man And The Sea, The Grapes of Wrath, a bunch of funky nonsense from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Iain Banks/Iain M. Banks.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiked from Istanbul to Edinburgh.

Teach, Learn, Share

Whatever it is I might actually know, it´s all yours, brothers and sisters!

What I Can Share with Hosts

If you like, I'll sing yez a song or three.
I promise to stop when told!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates

Countries I’ve Lived In

Iran, Japan, Jordan, United Kingdom