Obviously, to make new friends; however: As a surfer: Firstly, anyone who opens their home to strangers isn’t just hospitable—they’re invaluable. Secondly, in my experience, solo travelers mostly meet new people during the day, while nighttime tends to make everyone more cautious, perhaps unconsciously. Couchsurfing bridges that gap, ensuring you’re not alone after sunset. As a host: Some surfers are wonderfully, delightfully crazy—I’d love to have those kinds of people around!

From rock to rap, blues, and beyond; I enjoy everything from Western pop to African Sahara and Indian classical music. Rock: Pink Floyd, Linkin Park, Coldplay, Thirty Seconds to Mars. Rap: Eminem, Notorious B.I.G, Lamar. Pop: Adele. Oh, Nirvana is the Goat! Into the Wild influenced me a lot. I watched The Lord of the Rings probably 5 times! I’m a fan of Japanese anime and films from South Korea, France, Italy, Iran, Scandinavian and South American countries. My favorite books are Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám in Persian, The Old Man and the Sea in English, and Im Pamir in German. Generally, I enjoy reading books about languages and literature.