Greetings and Salutations!

I'm Jwala, a woman born in the land known as "Australia".

This is my first time using online social networking sites for travel- so please excuse any confusion in my way of communicating..

A bit about myself.. Ideas and living with integrity are very important to me, and I live what would be described as an 'alternative lifestyle'. Hence,I have a lifelong belief in inclusion and respect for diversity of all people, no matter your gender, class, partner preferences, culture, ethnicity, life experiences, belief system etc etc.

I have lived and traveled across Asia and Europe, living and working a lot in South East Asia, and most of my adult life in Australia living in Sydney. (Although at the moment I'm based in Melbourne, living with my life partner.)

In late November 2018, I will travel to India (briefly), then to Iran, and from there, hitchhike to Athens, via Kurdistan (Iran/Iraq/Turkey) and Turkey.. Then??...

I'm keen to meet open minded people in Iran, Kurdistan, and Turkey to exchange ideas, experiences, and to build friendships with people. I particularly like to discuss alternatives to the current dominant societies and systems regarding how we can be more tolerant and equitable to each other.

I love food- cooking and eating food prepared by and for friends. My partner and I co-host a radio show on community radio, which plays a broad cross section of music from around the globe (focusing on social justice issues), and includes a diverse range of styles, so we love to hear new music, also to share our favorite music with people. (We will be travelling quite lightly, but we will have USBs with music, which we can share with you. Sorry we don't play any instruments, but my partner can sometime be roused to sing :)

I am also an avid reader, and enjoy international and art house/ alternative films.

As I am due to leave Australia soon, I am not able to host until I return in 2019. When I'm back, I will update my profile re-hosting.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm keen to make new friends, and to learn more about the experiences of people in countries and cultures I haven't visited previously, through sharing and exchanging ideas, discussions, experiences.

I am keen to avoid the mainstream tourist areas and hope to meet local people for more of a genuine insight into life in Iran/ Kurdistan/ Turkey.

Interests

• street art
• politics
• reading
• music
• films
• travelling
• social justice
• activism
• current affairs
• hitchiking
• cooking and eating
• discussing ideas

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to list :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Let's meet in person and share stories of our life experiences, and you can decide for yourself :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can:
*cook
*clean
*entertain you with stories and anecdotes
*provide you with recommendations about places I've been to
*discuss politics, current affairs, and ideas/ theories/ praxis for social justice and reform
*listen to your experiences and ideas without judgment
*share my portable music collection with you, and provide you with recommendations for new sounds

Countries I’ve Visited

Cambodia, Czech Republic, Fiji, France, Germany, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Netherlands, Thailand