Rajiv Desai's Photo

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Accepting Guests

  • 100% response rate
  • Last login 2 days ago

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Overview

  • 13 references 7 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in Bengali, Bangla, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Spanish; learning German
  • 43, Male
  • Member since 2010
  • My own DEI consulting work
  • Schooling in India; University in the US
  • No hometown listed
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

CURRENT MISSION

It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races. - Mark Twain

ABOUT ME

Asking me where I'm from is a hard question. Telling you I'm a global citizen, sounds a bit cliche but is true! In short, I spent 20 years in India (between Calcutta, Bangalore and a residential school) after which I immigrated to the US (Pittsburgh) where I obtained my undergraduate degree in Finance and Marketing and a minor in Spanish language.

During college, I had the opportunity to study in Spain for 4 months and do a finance internship in Mongolia for 4 months. I believe this has taught me to adapt to different circumstances, better understand and react to a diverse range of global issues and proactively work on all challenges that these environments have to offer.

I started my full time career as an auditor with a shipping company in Pittsburgh and performed audits in multiple areas of the corporation. The opportunities in the international business arena took me to Dubai with the same company for 2 years where I was exposed to different activities and made many international friends. During this time, I also became an avid Dragon Boat racer, through which our team competed in the World Championships in Penang, Malaysia (August 2008).

I then relocated to Brussels with the same company as a senior auditor covering Europe, Middle East and Africa where I enjoyed over 4 fun years.

I then moved to DC in August 2014 and enjoying my new role in research-based consulting in the field of diversity and inclusion, an area of important and passion for me.

Since March 2022, I call Berlin home and absolutely loving it. I work for myself as a diversity, equity and inclusion advisor to organizations.

I came out a few years ago and have been the happiest person ever, being truly comfortable as a gay person.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Couchsurfing is not just about crashing on someone's sofa for a night. It's about learning something from the person which you would have otherwise, never had the opportunity to do.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My prior experiences in couch surfing have been informal, mainly with friends and people I know. My current CouchSurfing experiences include:

I surfed with:
Andre (Berlin)

I Hosted:
John (Wales, UK)
Shiva (India)
Zach & Mack (Austin, US)
Renato (Brazil)
Marcelo (Brazil)
Chris (US)
Andre (Berlin)
Matteo (Italy)
Brice & Steven (US)

Interests

Travel, Art, Charity, Cooking, Fashion, Film, Health/ Wellness, Massage, Photography, Theater, Wine, Yoga

  • arts
  • literature
  • theater
  • fashion
  • cooking
  • wine
  • yoga
  • boating
  • traveling
  • horse racing
  • business
  • nudist
  • naturism
  • lgbt
  • fkk
  • gayfriendly
  • diversity
  • inclusion

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Good Will hunting, Motorcycle Diaries, The Pianist, Forrest Gump, Touch of Pink, Milk, etc.

Music: U2, Bon Jovi, Lounge music, Bollywood tracks

Books: Shantaram, Memoirs of a Geisha, Daughters of Shame, The Kiterunner, Banker to the Poor, A Thousand Splendid Suns, etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Met Mother Theresa in Calcutta, India
- Summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro at Uhuru Peak 5895 meters
- Hiked up to Macchu Picchu, Peru
- Did a summer internship in Mongolia
- Took the Trans-Siberian train from Moscow, Russia
- Participated in the 2008 World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in Penang, Malaysia
- Partied for 8 straight nights in Ibiza (when you're 31, that IS an accomplishment). :)

Teach, Learn, Share

Yoga, Indian cooking, Art

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good food, fun travel stories, tips about Berlin, an inclusive home environment.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Poland, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Germany, India, Spain, United Arab Emirates, United States

Old School Badges

  • 3 Vouches
  • Pioneer Badge

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