Born in India. Lived there for 13 years. Moved to Houston, TX. Studied in Austin, TX. Worked in a large consulting firm for 1.5 years. Now heading onto the road to explore the wonders of the world (not literally).

I am an easy-going person who has a fairly balanced approach towards life. I absolutely love exploring new places, understanding different cultures, and have conversations about life, world, universe, religions, and sports.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I haven't had any Couchsurfing experiences yet. Talk about being late to the party....I know... But better late than never! I really want to dive into the CS community and know more about the CS way of traveling. I am heading out on a long term travel journey, without any time bound deadline or detailed agendas. And I think Couchsurfing will be a great complimenting experience through my journey.

Moreover, there's nothing like being friends with someone local to a place and learning about the place from a local's perspective. Cheers to new friendships!

Interests

I have been learning about music since a young teenager. Not so much of formal training, but more self exploration and learning. I have also written lyrics for about 7 songs, written 2 raps, and a few poems. I have not got a chance or resources to publish them out yet (which I intend to do at some point). But I would love to share them with my hosts!

Photography has also been a passion since last 3 years. I have been learning on my own about this art and it amazes me how much one can do to express the ambiance and feeling of their surroundings, communicate an idea, or simply portray a scenery through photography. You can definitely check out some of my work at www.facebook.com/abhasmishraphotography

I love playing sports. Almost any kind of sport really. I decently good at table tennis, cricket, badminton, tennis, and soccer (football). I am not too bad at pool (billiards), bowling and swimming either.

Hiking and camping interest me too!

Music, Movies, and Books

Books - The Journey Home - Autobiography of an American Swami, The Hero by Rhonda Byrne, Law of Attraction by ____, some Agatha Christie books. Other than those....I really need to read more often.

Movies - Black Hawk Down, Homefront, Jack Reacher, Inception. I am not super picky about movies so if I start listing, I'll list a gazillion. Anything along the lines of military & spy action, action & adventure works.

Music - I am super exciting to talk about music! Rap, Indian Classical Fusion, Electronic & Dance Music, Blues, some Jazz, Trap, Bollywood, Indian Indie Music, some New Age. My most favorite are bollywood-inspired-experimental fusions. In terms of artists....Eminem, Locksmith, A.R. Rahman, Sean Roldan & Friends, Arijit Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, RL Grime, Hardwell, Nicky Romero, Martin Garixx.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- I have always wanted to write my own music. I have written 7 songs so far and composed 3 songs.

- I have hiked 4 mountain peaks in 4 days straight. It was exhausting! But oh so rewarding. Each peak offered a different beauty. It definitely tested my perseverance, stamina, patience, determination.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
- I can teach some basic photography skills I have learned over the years. These basic concepts, once fully understood, transform the quality of photography to another level.

Learn:
- I would love to learn about local culture, tradition, and unique travel experiences.

Share:
- I can share some of my poems and songs, verbally :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

- I can share my knowledge and love for music and photography with hosts. Basic photography skills or genres of music, or even my own songs.

- I have been on a spiritual path for the last 6 years, so I would love to share what I have learned as well - meditation, spiritual perspective of life, etc.

- I can also cook a bit. Definitely won't claim I am a chef. Nowhere close to it for sure. But what I cook is surely edible. I like to experiment with cooking. So there's always a surprise factor involved. haha

Countries I’ve Visited

Czech Republic, Norway, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United States