I believe in leaving the world a slightly better place than we found it. Trying to show kindness to all living creatures and offset at least some of my carbon footprint!

I'm a writer, researcher, and former journalist specializing in the politics and history of Turkey and the Arab Middle East. I've been living in Istanbul, which I totally adore, for the past few years. During the Arab Spring and attempted democratic transitions that followed, I was lucky enough to live in Tunisia (from 2012-2016) and Egypt (for brief periods during 2011 and 2012).

I recently finished my PhD, and - after a whole lot of time hunched over books and a computer screen - am regaining some equilibrium through my latest love: Argentine tango. I really like learning, and sharing what I've learned with interested people!

I'm starting a postdoctoral fellowship in Boston, but am keeping my flat in Istanbul while I'm away and will make frequent trips back. If we overlap when I'm back (and assuming that no one is subletting my place) it's possible that I could host you, so feel free to send me a message!

But please make your request personal, indicating that you read my profile and why you think we'd get along :) CS for me is about sharing ideas and expanding my world - not just searching for a free place to stay.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love travelers and truly enjoy showing people around wherever I happen to be living. And when it's me that's traveling, I find it's a much richer experience to meet new people.

The CS community has really enriched my life.
Some of my best friends are people I met through surfing, hosting, and local meetups- especially in Turkey and Tunisia.

Interests

Tasting great new foods, learning about other people's lives through books and conversation, dancing tango, and discussing politics, culture, and history are some of my favorite things.

• arts
• books
• salsa dancing
• tango
• swing dancing
• lgbt rights
• environment
• cooking
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• music
• blues
• scuba diving
• teaching
• history
• journalism
• languages
• law
• political science
• religion
• language exchange
• turkish language
• social justice
• activism
• feminism
• arabic
• french
• spanish
• tango argentino
• religious studies
• spanish guitar
• gypsy jazz
• oud

Music, Movies, and Books

I have pretty diverse taste in films, reading, etc. Really enjoy learning languages by translating poetry. I also love watching good documentaries and independent films subtitled in languages that I'm learning or trying to improve :)

Re: music, my favorite thing is to see excellent bit kinda unknown bands playing great music in tiny venues like cafes, or spontaneous venues like street corners. I'm into jazz manouche (gypsy jazz), Delta blues, big band swing, reggae, dirty Calypso (don't ask...), and a bunch of more "ethnic" (from a US/ Anglo peespective) kinds of music like fado and rai and stuff that are awesome but tend to come off as pretentious when listed without context on one's profile page hahaha

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've been lucky enough to meet and, often, to interview countless incredible people during my travels. The insights and experiences they've shared with me are more fascinating than the most impressive sights I've seen!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm curious about a lot of things and love learning from other people. I also love sharing ideas, travel tips, music, good wine, and all sorts of other information with people who similarly love to learn!

I've got a background teaching comparative politics and religious studies (especially regarding Islam and Middle East politics) and I'm super interested in topics like journalism, pluralism, and environmental activism. But I'm just as happy to discuss the relative merits of dating apps in various countries or share interesting varieties of music :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

A place to stay in Istanbul when and if you visit (trust me, you should come!), a cool network of friends - including a whole lot of fun and funky analysts and journalists - living all over the world, and - if you're in the mood to talk or share a drink - lots of eclectic tidbits about food, wine, music, politics, and culture from the various places I've lived and traveled.

More to the point, perhaps, I'm a really self-sufficient, quiet, and very clean guest. I'm bookish and used to living alone, and I know what it's like to be on both the hosting or subletting side of the equation. So unless you've got the time and are in the mood to talk (in which case I'm more than happy to hang!) I'm perfectly content to keep myself busy.

Also count on me leaving a bottle of alcohol or some Turkish sweets at your place to say thanks!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Egypt, Jordan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

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