Have my own place now so I can host again!

DISCLAIMER: When I organise events I will always give preference to people who have either put a lot of work into their profile, or have a decent amount of references or both. If you don't, I assume you're just somebody who wants free accomodation and doesn't actually share the CS spirit. If I don't reply to your message, that might be the reason.

Now that we have that covered,
Hello there!

I'm 37 years old and in 2018 I volunteered in India or a plastic/waste fighting NGO called Waste Warriors. I kept a blog! wastewarriorsvolunteers.wordpress.com. Check it out!

From January to April 2018 I travelled for the second time on Peace Boat, teaching English to Japanese people on Peace Boat. Peace Boat is a non-profit NGO focused on peace, sustainability, human rights and nuclear disarmament. They're currently building EcoShip, the world's first eco-friendly, technologically advanced cruise ship run by an NGO. Peace Boat has an advisory role to the UN, promoting the Sustainable Development Goals.

I originally studied Mediterranean Archaeology. For this I spent a year in Rome studying. I had one of the best years of my life there and I have to thank the great and (then) active CS-Roma community for that.

In 2013 I moved to Madrid where I started teaching English; I found that I genuinely love teaching. But I also love NGO work.

Currently put NGO work on hold and busy setting up my own craft beer hiking business, combining 2 passions. I'm also a full-time Dutch teacher and loving it so much more than English teaching.

About me: I'm open, sociable and enjoy the little things in life. I love irony, self-reflection and nerdy word jokes and also love wittiness and dark humor. I'm a good listener and I feel people well. I tend to open up really fast, which takes some people by surprise. I'm also stubborn as hell and dwell on the past too much (hence the archaeology degree).
I like deep, intelligent conversation as much as a bit of gossip. In both cases your thought process gets challenged (hopefully) and you take a different view on things.

I can be a bit of a nerd/geek when you put me together with boardgame enthusiasts and I'm still searching for a Star Trek buddy (not Spock).
ENFP

PHILOSOPHY

Pythonism: Always look on the bright side of life.
Schmichism: The race is long and in the end it's only with yourself

True friends never go off (perhaps ferment a little); loyalty shouldn't be restricted by distance or time. Nowadays people are used to throwing away stuff and relations and seem to have forgotten about fixing and maintaining.

I want to experience other cultures on a personal level and I'd like other cultures to enjoy mine too. The world is a small place; knowing is understanding.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

In Madrid:
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Couchsurfing is dying through an overload of freeloading members and commercial mismanagement. The city communities are virtually dead. Nevertheless I organise the occasional event on CS and I'm again an eager host.

In Rome:
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I studied in Rome for 10 months in 2008/09 and was highly involved in the CS-Roma community. Apart from (co)organizing activities and joining multiple weekly meetings I did some emergency hosting of people met during those events. I can give some tips and tricks for having a pleasurable stay in the city.

In Amsterdam:
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I lived in AMS for 10 years. I can help you out with any odd sightseeing tips and some places that are worth going to if you like making photo's. Don't ask me about weed or prostitutes; I don't like either of this type of tourism. Nine years ago I worked part-time for the municipality of Amsterdam as a guide in some of their towers that are part of churches, so I surely know a good deal about the history of Amsterdam. I also know some cool walks/bike rides that take you straight from the centre into the green and lush country side or sea area.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first hosting experience was with two pairs of people in 2008 and it was a true delight. In Rome I occasionally hosted people that needed a last minute couch. Back in Amsterdam I hosted four people at the same time again immediately after returning and it was great fun. I also hosted two different travelling bands, one of them comprised of six members, all sleeping in my room! I have only been hosted once, but I'd like to do it more often. It doesn't matter, hosting is tons of fun!

Interests

Passionate about hiking; I frequently lead hikes around Madrid. Cycling. Singing.

Better a good talk in a cafe or listening to music in small establishments than going clubbing (I pretty much hate it-partyhardy's be gone!).

I watch a lot of movies in all (sub)genres.

Photography (esp. nature and streetart)
Having deep conversations.
Addicted to biscuits, cookies and other pastry.

Voluntary work

• singing
• photography
• clubbing
• movies
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• cycling
• rock climbing
• volleyball
• cartography
• history
• psychology
• study abroad
• tourism
• tours
• sightseeing
• mountains
• peace
• nuclear disarmament
• peace boat

Music, Movies, and Books

I generally read fantasy/sf stories (f.e. Tolkien, Aldiss, Wingrove, Herbert, Martin) travel stories (f.e. Michael Palin) and english authors like Bill Bryson adn Douglas Adams. Never pulp though. I very much enjoyed several books by Murakami. I love books on mythology (like Homerus, or the Norse Edda).

I'm extremely fond of discovering strange new places through Google Maps (and dreaming about visiting those places).

My musical taste is extremely varied. To name a few: Porcupine Tree (my absolute favorite), EELS, Coldplay, Patrick Watson, Muse, Goldfish, Jeff Buckley, Dream Theater, Leonard Cohen, Sigur Ros, Tom Waits, Beirut, Kaizers Orchestra, Anathema, Joe Bonamassa, Pink Floyd.

Movie-wise there are too many to name but some of my favs are: LOTR trilogy, 12 Monkeys, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gladiator, Brazil, Samsara, The man from earth, Monty Python films, 300, Into the Wild, As Good As It Gets, The Sound of Music, Rain Man, James Bond, Das Boot, House of Flying Daggers, Lions for Lambs, The remains of the day, Himalaya:L'enfance d'un chef, Wristcutters: A love story, Natural Born Killers (this might be my favorite), Fightclub, Shichinin No Samurai, O brother where art thou?
I'm impressed by Clint Eastwood's films from the last couple of years.

Some of my favorite series: Star Trek TNG, Star Trek Voyager, Dexter, Vikings, Westworld, Firefly, The Expanse, The Handmaidens Tale, GoT.
British comedy like Little Britain, That Mitchell and Webb Look, Coupling, The Office and classics like Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and A Bit of Fry&Laurie.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Experiencing utter loneliness on Spitsbergen (Svalbard), 79 degrees north.

- I went on a cruise around the world teaching English to Japanese people for 3,5 month going through the Suez and Panama Canal and travelling 52,000 km by boat. It was such a unique experience. I will never forget the people I met. And all my lovely students! And then I did it again this year.

Teach, Learn, Share

These are my favorite spots of Madrid : http://goo.gl/maps/JhA58 (UPDATED: 01-08-2014)
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These are my favorite spots of Amsterdam: http://goo.gl/maps/jZIoO (UPDATED: 03-09-2014) />-------------------------------------------------------I love cycling. These are some of my favorite cycling trips around amsterdam:1. Around Amsterdam Southeast (47km): http://tinyurl.com/62v7nfo2. Awesome nature east of amsterdam (72km):http://tinyurl.com/3zsq9243. To the North Sea (40km one way):http://tinyurl.com/3gfhuhk4. Around Gooimeer (lake), east of amsterdam (85km):http://tinyurl.com/454m5j35. To Edam and Volendam (64km): http://tinyurl.com/68zaq4y6. From A'dam to Alkmaar through woods and dunes (58km one way):http://tinyurl.com/3cahn9fI'm always open to share a bike tour with you and show you the near beautiful countryside.-------------------------------------------------------Would you be so bold as to write me a request, be sure to include the sentence 'archaeologists are down to earth'.

If you're interested I can teach you some Dutch. I'm eager to share my voice with your musical talents and form a band.I would still like to learn Spanish, Greek, Romanian, Japanese and Chinese.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversation, some beers, doing your dishes, cooking amazing dutch pancakes

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Myanmar, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain

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