I'm new to this Couchsurfing community! Can't believe it took me so long to find about it and then sign up.
I have experienced the old fashioned couchsurfing where you find a place to stay through a friend of a friend or family and that's always been so nice, I can't wait to meet people of the CS community. After two years of not making much time to travel, it's time to out there!

I'm an introvert who loves listening to others' stories, stories of strangers, fellow travelers are often what I remember most from a trip. I love this unique experience of learning things you wouldn't if it weren't for a shared experience or a conversation with a stranger who has lived a very different life than you.

I love wilderness and adventure, some types of treks/ explorations are more fun when shared with friends or family but most are so fulfilling by yourself, with a lot of time to think or just be. I also wish childhood extended longer, like all our lives? What's up with hobbies vs profession? I'd love for both to intermingle. My life's goal is basically that.

Interests

• arts
• theater
• festivals
• cooking
• yoga
• running
• reading
• painting
• live music
• classical music
• hiking
• rock climbing
• swimming
• history
• science
• visual arts
• language exchange
• learning languages
• stargazing
• learning new things
• outdoors
• museums
• wild camping
• social psychology
• philosphy
• space exploration
• healthy cooking
• aerial arts
• long distance running

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to list!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Got on the train when I went to drop off a friend after a brief 2 day reunion after 4 years, at a wedding. While saying goodbye, I decided to hop on the train and just figure out how to get to my destination on the way. One of my most memorable impulsive trips!

Speaking of impulsive trips, I've flown across the world, sitting in a plane for 18 hours (one way) to make an impulsive 4 day trip to India (totally worth it, pro tip- Limit such expensive impulses to off season, for India - Jan through March)

Climbed one of the seven summits - Kilimanjaro. Took months of endurance training at near sea level ( had no opportunity to train at higher altitudes), it felt so good to make it, nevermind my heart rate being over a 100 the whole time I was moving over there ...

Stumbled upon a travel pass ($500 for month long unlimited domestic flights) and jumped on the chance to explore the country before I started work. I explored 14 cities in a month on a shoe string budget, I didn't know about couchsurfing then but hostels were very convenient. It was a month of many first experiences. Through that trip I was also trying to figure out what type of city I'd like to live in. Boston and San Francisco were at the top of my list but, I fell in love with Austin.

Hmm does running long distance count? I thought it was pretty amazing, it felt pretty amazing to run my first Half Marathon.

Stayed up all night programming for a project that was due in 2 days and then climbed on to the roof to watch the sunrise.

Organized a scavenger hunt in Austin, open to general public. As a newbie in the city with not many contacts and no prior experience in events, I managed to find 30 participants (all strangers)!

Took a single flying lesson, got to fly the helicopter along with a pilot/instructor.

Went snorkling in San Diego with leopard sharks.

Ran 1.5 miles through the hilly streets of San Francisco, chasing a perfect moon rise over the bay bridge. Caught it.

Saw the milky way for the first time in my life on Kilimanjaro, at the end of a tough 7 day trek. So many goosebumps and butterflies as this visual music just exploded overhead. I didn't know one could see the milky way before that night, the images I'd seen I thought were post-processed like most space pictures are. I had seen tons of stars growing up in my grandparents veranda, but had never been so far from civilization until then to see the milkyway. I'd like to bottle up that feeling for days that are too ordinary.

Teach, Learn, Share

Cooking Indian Food
Cooking Keto/Paleo Food
Health and Nutrition
Life Hacks
Financial planning / organizing
Random business ideas (I have too many to try myself)
Language exchange
Programming

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Kenya, Poland, Tanzania, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United States