Hi there!

I'm an Indian grad student pursuing Master's in International Studies at the Josef Korbel School at U of Denver. I grew up in South India all my life, the first 17 years in the multicultural and vibrant city of Hyderabad and for the next five years in the traditional yet modern, temple-rich coastal city of Chennai. I did a 3 month stint in Paris for a study abroad in 2021 where I travelled around France and the Netherlands but had to cut it short due to Covid (ugh!).
Now I live in the United States, shuttling between Denver and the DMV region. I'll be traveling to Gothenburg, Sweden for a short two month research trip before I head back to Denver to finish up my grad school!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

During my stay at Gothenburg, I'm planning to continue my exploration of Europe, particularly Scandinavia, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. I'm excited to immerse myself in the culture(s), form new connections with locals, hear travel stories and life experiences and share my own. I'm excited to be part of this community which I heard great things about and make a few adventures during these two months.

Interests

• politics
• hiking
• geography
• geopolitics
• political science
• africa
• people watching
• museums
• maps
• people's stories
• fiction
• amusement parks
• coffee shops
• bharatanatyam
• history and culture

Music, Movies, and Books

Okay, it's genuinely difficult to nail down my taste in music. It's too broad- from classical Carnatic music of South India to Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and some classical oldies.

I love watching historical and political drama films and series. The Judge, Inglorious Bastards and Pride & Prejudice are all time favourite rewatches. Also LOVE Modern Family.

I read non-fiction these days, mostly country analysis books on sub-Saharan Africa- DRC, Mozambique, Rwanda etc. I used to be a huge fiction buff, read quite a bit of Indian fiction, Jeffrey Archer's Kane & Abel is an all time favourite. The early Gen Z that I am, I absolutely love Harry Potter. Had a huge obsession with Percy Jackson as a kid, convinced myself that the Hindu and Greek mythology were practically the same and that I was Athena/Saraswati's kid.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This question is honestly a lot of pressure. I would like to think that everything that I indulge in is Amazing but one thing that stands out is how I was the first person/girl in all my extended family to venture out of the country by themselves. Growing up in the classic average Indian family, girls weren't exactly raised to have solo adventures and lives of their own. I pretty much always knew that my journey was different and ensured that I always push myself out of the comfort zone- get out of home, out of the country, live far away from everyone I loved and truly live by myself. Because I know that's the only way for me to know myself better. So I guess that's pretty amazing when I look back at how far I've come.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm excited to share stories and experiences of growing up in India, teach about the Indian culture and values, travel recommendations in South Asia, life of a Global South grad student in the West, my understanding of the United States and the transcontinental experiences from my perspective. I would also love to teach Hindi and my native language, Telugu, to folks interested in exploring various languages. Would love to cook some authentic Indian food other than Tikka Masalas and give them a new perspectives into regional foods of India. I also practice yoga and learnt the Indian classical dance, Bharatnatyam and would love to share these practices with the hosts.

Countries I’ve Visited

Netherlands

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, India, United States