Haven't hosted much in 2024 due to work and travels, but looking to get back to it this year. I do spend a fair bit of my time between Belfast and Manchester and I try to block my calendar when I am away but may sometimes miss.

Please read the My Home section, make sure your request is not generic, and (I cannot believe I have to add this, wild times!) please don't send me AI-generated requests, they are simply painful to read. If I am going to a host a human, I want to hear from the human. If you are not sure, there are several resources that the robot can point you to on how to write a good Couchsurfing request.

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Hi!
I'm Varshana from Calcutta, India, currently a final year PhD researcher (therefore, very caught up most of the time), based in Manchester, England.

I've been in the UK for about 4 years now but still excited to be travelling this part of the world! I'm curious and open-minded, and enjoy meeting interesting people! I don't like to have plans, when am travelling or otherwise, so I am rather open to ideas!

I love small towns for their warmth and am always yearning to be closer to nature! I look up cemeteries in every new place that I am. I enjoy photography a lot and have finally got my hands on a real camera since July'22. If you are interested to know my style of art, my Instagram (@varshanagoswami) is where I collect them.

I also feel quite connected to animals in general and dearly miss my dogs back home! I think I am a minimalistic carefree person but hold strong opinions about causes I care for.

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 🍉 🙂
(I am all in favour of being friends despite disagreements, as long as the disagreement is limited to dinner plans and does not extend to genocides - so don't request if you think otherwise)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because it's sheer brilliance.
It has changed my idea of travelling and given me unforgettable memories! I almost always travel alone, but I'm never alone, thanks to the Couchsurfing community!

Interests

• dogs
• literature
• poetry
• photography
• lgbt rights
• cooking
• politics
• traveling
• painting
• hiking
• economics
• languages
• statistics
• hitchhiking
• nature
• travels
• feminism
• trains
• animal rescue

Music, Movies, and Books

I am really fond of films. Some of my favourites include City of God, Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri, Full Metal Jacket, The Green Book, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Society of the Snow!

I like listening to classical rock. Some old favourites are Dylan, Cohen, Elvis, Denver, Cat Stevens, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Billy Joel, The Beatles, Sinatra, Joan Baez, Louis Armstrong .. I could go on!

I like Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence and Khaled Hosseini's And The Mountains Echoed.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiking on freight trains in India

What I Can Share with Hosts

Lots of stories, language and cultural exchange, cooking and sharing a drink!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Bhutan, England, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Nepal, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, Thailand, United States, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, India