CURRENT MISSION

~ 2015/2016 teaching English in Thailand= CS has been quiet except for a great host in Kuala Lumpur 2015 and some impromptu CSers in our little Thai home 2016 and my lovely host in Delhi 2016 ~ BUT EPIC TRAVEL ADVENTURES LIVE ON!

ABOUT ME

Trainers 'n Flip-flops. Jeans 'n T's. Pubs over clubs. Food over sleep. Blending in over standing out. I laugh & smile pretty much all the time: when I'm happy, nervous, scared, shy... Love long drives/trains/flights... Walking... People watching... Airports... Muesli... Being odd... Bookshops... Markets... 1(insert currency here) stores... Browsing... Sushi (have just discovered it and all it's yumminess!)

I think no news is good news. Have a terrible sense of direction(!!!). Seldom miss family and friends, but it doesn't mean I don't think of them. I'm street-smart not book-smart (not literally: see above!). Can be witty but have had many a blonde moment :)I'm vegetarian.

In three words:
Happy. Adventurous. Cheeky (in a good way!)

FINE PRINT:
1) I'm not here for dating
2) When you respond to my Couch Request please include the secret word Vuvuzela, so that I know you've read my profile (Hahaha! Just kidding, I know that trick is only reserved for hosts)

I work in different countries to fund my travels. 2016: I have just completed a year teaching English in Thailand.

---------------------------UPDATE 2011----------------------------
I'm hoping to teach myself Spanish... eek! And also running a 10k race for Amnesty International (May 2011). CSer's are an amazing bunch of caring, generous and helpful people and if any one would like to make a donation to my cause (or just spread the word) please visit my page http://www.justgiving.com/Rashika-Jutle or fill in my sponsorship form (girl guide style!)when you see me.

Pence or Pounds it all makes a difference to someone's life.

THANK YOU, no one will appreciate it more than those who benefit. And thank you to all the CSers who have donated already, it's really kind of you as I know it's hard to travel on a budget!

PHILOSOPHY

If I have to go the 'quote' route then these sum it up:

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

~ No expectations, no disappointments ~ It's not as pessimistic as it sounds- have had the best times when I was least expecting it!

(To put it really badly) "When it's good, be happy. When it's bad, also be happy." ~something my dad's always taught me, although I'm sure he's not the first to say it.

And I guess my own philosophy is that 'for the experience' is always a good reason to do anything! Generally speaking of course ;)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Mainly I've just been hosted because I heard about CS after I started travelling. Although now that I'm in one place for a while I'm starting to get to know some of the regulars in the London group as well as go to as many events as I can or meet up with others for some sightseeing- God knows I won't do it on my own! lol!

I've met so many great people and I definitely want to host when I get home. It'll make choosing a couch that much more fun too!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've been hosted enough times and it's been really great, I've also been to meetings/gatherings and met people nearby.

CSed in Malaga, Edinburgh, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Rome, Amsterdam, Belgium, England, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Czech Republic, Malaysia and India- thank you to all my fantastic hosts :)

Recently I've been lucky enough to build amazing friendships because we've all been around long enough to do so and nothing compares! Ariane, Iain, Zoe, Nils and Brie, I'm talking to you!

Tend to mix and match my travels with CS and work exchange for food and accommodation- Workaway/helpx (France, Spain, Scotland, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Italy, Bali)

--------------------
Oct '11
A fellow CSer (whom I only met for a few hours last year) and I completed the Great North Walk- 250km- for charity: The Royal Rehab Centre in Sydney. It was a hot, challanging and inspiring 10 days in the Aussie bush where we carried all our own gear, sometimes didn't see people for days & didn't shower for 6 days. We spent 24/7 together and definitely a test on (the little) friendship we had and which I'm glad to say survived ---> A year later and we have an epic two month backpacking trip around South Africa planned (2012/13)

Interests

I'm into the usual suspects: new people, places and things :)

Laughing, reading, adventuring, volunteering/workaway-ing, landscapes, talking, cooking, baking, scuba diving, advertising (I'm a Copywriter), Spanish, health and fitness, music, photography- but I'm not very good! Squatting (which I haven't done but would like to try) Googling (anything), doing everything, doing nothing, being lost in my own thoughts, hanging out, hanging in etc etc...

Since it is my profession, I'm trying to write more- my ramblings have been unleashed unto the world! http://minus-a-map.blogspot.com/

• books
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• beer
• baking
• vegetarian
• vegan
• fitness
• running
• walking
• clubbing
• pub crawls
• flying
• clothing
• news
• reading
• traveling
• music
• backpacking
• scuba diving
• tourism
• language exchange
• volunteering
• sightseeing

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm quite the commercial girl but I pretty much listen to anything that sounds good. My latest obsessions are Dubstep (where's the party??)electro/techno and reggae

Gimme free reign over the play list and this is what you might get depending on my mood:

Swedish House Mafia, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Red Hot Chilli Peppers,Skrillex, Green Day, Ellie Golding, Tracy Chapman,Deadmaus Vampire Weekend,Mumford & Sons, JayZ, Die Antwoord, The Kooks, Linkin Park, Goldfish, Oasis, The Script, Fall Out Boy, 2manyDJ's, Timbaland, Katy Perry, Paulo Nutini, The Killers, Owl City, A-King, Maroon 5, James Blunt, Shakira, The Fray... ummm and some obscure and not so obscure music I've picked up on my travels like The Rubber Bandits, Asaf Avidan & the Mojo's.

My Blueberry Nights, Shrek, Finding Nemo, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Madagascar, The Matrix, Death at a Funeral, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Kite Runner, Into the Wild, The Bucket List. Recently, watched The World's Fastest Indian which blew me away- the epitome of a feel good un-Hollywood movie and Anthony Hopkins is brilliant!

I'm also obsessed with the British comedy The Inbetweeners and my new favourite series Madmen.

I go in and out of reading phases and tend to forget who or what I have read! A few of the most memorable are Shantaram, The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, Married to a Bedouin, The Beach,Guantanamo Boy, We Need to Talk About Kevin.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1988-2010
* Actually making it to so many of the places I've wanted to see through my own hard work.
* The Negev dessert, dead sea, Jerusalem, night view of Tel Aviv from a plane..... Israel!
* Mt Etna in Autumn
* The true wonder of what comes your way when you change your thinking
* Flying a gazzilion miles in the air in a big metal bird is amazing :)
* Colosseum at night

2011
* Sleeping on the (very cold) streets of Brighton and eating baked beans & bread for three days
* Genorosity of total strangers
* A lady I hardly know paid for my tattoo (one of my cooler stories!)
* Oct: A fellow CSer (whom I only met for a few hours last year) and I completed the Great North Walk- 250km- for charity: The Royal Rehab Centre in Sydney. It was a hot, challanging and inspiring 10 days in the Aussie bush where we carried all our own gear, sometimes didn't see people for days & didn't shower for 6 days. We spent 24/7 together and definitely a test on (the little) friendship we had and which I'm glad to say survived! lol!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can definitely help with English, I´m not a bad cook (especially veggie/vegan cakes) Pretty practical around the house... I can iron if you need some clothes done or change a lightbulb without killing myself. Lol!

Trying to teach myself Spanish, at least conversational- maybe a language exchange?

I'll happily share stories, laughs, my bed, pizza, knowledge (??) chocolate, beer... wait did I say beer?? No, that's mine!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Laos, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Austria, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom

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