Hi,
I'm Amelie and I'm a student in Wuerzburg, studying German and English and teaching for secondary school (and taking a bachelor's degree with me as well while I'm at it). I love being outside and going for walks or hikes, I am interested in books and films and art, and I love languages and almost everything to do with them and am one of those nerds who are even interested in linguistics and things like Middle High German ;). I just like understanding things and languages are extremely interesting to try to understand. I spent a year near Glasgow, Scotland, as an Aupair and was back in Scotland two years later to do an exchange year at uni which I enjoyed so much, I really love Scotland. In the last few years trying to live a sustainable life has become more and more important to me and have learnt a lot and changed a lot about my life, and travelling is something that is still so crucial to my life that I've combined the two and have for example given up flying. I have this urge to leave my normal life behind as often as possible (not very easy at the moment as I'm packed full with uni stuff for now) and just get out and experience, be on the move and in new places with new people, and luckily enough I've also met the two people I can do this with best.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've done some couchsurfing and lots of hitchhiking while travelling and most of all I just want to give back to people in general what so many individuals have given me and my friends... generosity without bounds, wonderful conversations and new insights and kindness, all of that without knowing us in advance. I've wwoofed a bit as well and just love exchanges between people that don't involve money and just rely on being nice to someone else basically. It kind of makes you believe in humanity again. And: I think staying with someone who actually knows the place intimately is obviously the best way to get to know it and travelling slow makes more and more sense. Also, people who are on couchsurfing must be worth knowing because not everyone is open-minded enough to let strangers sleep on their couch or vice versa sleep on strangers' couches :).

Interests

Oh, I've written all of that up there already... I like travelling, languages, reading, art, being outside, backpacks, cycling and eating, to sum it up :). Ah yes, and I like swimming in cold water, I don't really know why apart from the fact that it makes you be more in a place when you swim there and experience it that way. Aand, another thing I've discovered for myself in the last year or so is analogue photography which I like a lot better than digital, even though it's harder to catch a spontaneous moment (at least for beginners like me).

• culture
• books
• environment
• dining
• baking
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• hiking
• languages
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm afraid I have a very ecclectic taste. I'm always interested in portrayals of people and like it when characters are human... and when the film is not made in Hollywood; that's always a plus :). Miniseries made by the BBC are always great... and this semester I am spending a lot of time watching Ken Loach films, officially for a seminar I'm taking on him but this other view on Britain and the British is great for me. I used to love Jane Eyre and The Kids are Allright was my favourite film for a long time but I feel like it becomes more and more difficult to specify favourite things. I like Virginia Woolf, used to be a huge Jane Austen fan, still am a John Irving fan, like Ian McEwan's writing, have just discovered Terry Pratchett, enjoyed binge-reading Isabel Allende last spring, tried and loved Baltic literature in the form of Andrusz Kivirähk recently, one of my favourite books is definitely 'La Consolante' by Anna Gavalda, I have by now read a few Canadian authors' books on recommendation and can only tell you the best about 'Come Thou Tortoise' which is fascinating, and I love hearing about other's favourite books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hm. I'd probably say the two years in spent in Scotland; as an aupair and an exchange student. Those years shaped me into who I am now and make me believe in growing way more in a different environment than I ever could at home. I'm a huge fan of spending time abroad and recommend it to most people ;). Am planning my next Erasmus exchange to Poland and am extremely excited about leaving my day-to-day life for it soon.

Teach, Learn, Share

(?) interested in languages, always excited to learn something new, share good moments together

What I Can Share with Hosts

enthusiasm for travelling?... I don't know!, maybe some good stories, nice evenings with a bottle of wine, good stories, I'm a good listener, I can teach a bit of German to people...

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Poland, Scotland