Hi!

I grew up in Pakistan and moved to USA 8 years ago! My parents live in Dallas, TX and I now live in Austin, TX. I went to school for Chemistry but I also dabbled in learning some Spanish and Chinese. I've worked in Barcelona and Shanghai before, so I've definitely seen some cool parts of the world.

Right now, I'm working for an awesome startup in Austin, TX called Main Street Hub that helps small companies across the US get more customers by managing their customer interactions on Social Media.

I love to see the world and learn about cultures! Also food. And coffee. And beer. :D

Best,
Umair Khakoo

Perché sono iscritto su Couchsurfing

I'm traveling with my little sister who is moving to Switzerland for 8 months. She really wants to try couchsurfing and see whether this will be a safe and sustainable way to travel on the weekends. I also love to meet new people and get an inside perspective on the history and culture of the country. Like in Barcelona, we took a road trip with my friend Albert and went to meet his friends and family in Girona. In Taiwan, I visited some of the best restaurants in Taipei with my best friend and his cousins. That adds a personal connection to the country.

Interessi

• wildlife
• architecture
• beer
• hiking
• history
• local food
• art museums

Musica, film e libri

Daft Punk is one of my favorite artists of all time, along with Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Queen and Linkin Park. I am also a huge fan of Hans Zimmer, Joe Hisaishi and classical European artists like Mozart, Vivaldi, Saint-Saens etc.

My favorite movies include The Dark Knight, Jurassic Park, everything by Hayao Miyazaki and the whole Planet Earth series. I also really like some Bollywood movies like Three Idiots and many of the old classics.

I have so many favorite books that I don't even know where to start. One Hundred Years of Solitude opened my mind to a lot of contemporary World Literature and I find that world literature is a great way to learn about other cultures. The Little Prince, The Alchemist, White Teeth (Zadie Smith), Rumi, etc. I also really like The Martian Chronicles, Grit (Angela Lee-Duckworth), The Defining Decade etc.

Una cosa incredibile che ho fatto

Last summer, I took an awesome opportunity to work in a fuel cell research lab in Shanghai, China. I went there alone and had studied Chinese for a year before I went. That whole experience flipped my perspective on international work, language learning and China on top of its head.

Cosa posso offrire ai padroni di casa

I can share tons of knowledge about my culture and history. Right now, with the refugee crisis in Europe, I feel that many people don't understand Muslims as a whole and as individuals. My goal is to teach people about the diversity of Muslims and help them understand us and empathize with other Muslims.

I also love to cook food so I am happy to share recipes and tips with anyone. :)

Paesi che ho visitato

China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand

Paesi in cui ho vissuto

Pakistan, United States