CURRENT MISSION

Traveling from Switzerland to Iran and back again, getting to know local people and having a lot of fun :)

PHILOSOPHY

Every time you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in.

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of the heart
That lies low at home:

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice,
Opening in conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight
You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing:
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you toward
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life,
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed,
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

John O'Donohue

ABOUT ME

I'm a very openminded, friendly, reliable, easy-going and widely travelled person with lot's of energy and motivation to learn new things and to learn from local people. I love new experiences, adventures and challenges, the wonderful beauty of the world, fits of laughter, other cultures, interesting people and talks... And I always write down everything in my beloved diary.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I grew up in a very sociable and open-minded family. We travelled a lot and got to know people from all over the world, who sometimes came to visit us in Switzerland. Because of the political and social commitment we often had guests staying at our place from different countries and I could learn a lot from them. When I was fifteen I went to the Netherlands for an exchange year, lived in a fantastic host family and loved the idea of living with local people. During other journeys I could stay mostly with people I knew from other travel experiences and I realized that traveling can really be enriched by staying with local people. I think it’s wonderful to share what we have, know and believe in with new people!

Interests

I love spending time in the nature, listening to music, swimming in the lake, river or ocean, doing yoga, drinking coffee, looking at beautiful landscapes, being on my beloved bicycle, the sun and the mountains, getting to know new people and different ways of living, reading books and newspapers,...

• photography
• yoga
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• learning new things
• writing diary

Music, Movies, and Books

I love various books, music and movies from different countries, places, people and I'm always keen on reading, listening and watching more...

Music: Les Cowboys Fringants, Brazzaville, Beirut, Eddy de Pretto, Of Monsters and Men, Angus and Julia Stone, The Beatles, Tracy Chapman, Alt-J, Moriarty, Frank Turner, Half Moon Run, Bon Iver,...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- my exchange year in the Netherlands when I was 15 years old
- discover Southern and Western Africa while traveling with tent and backpack
- winning the 3rd place at the hitch-hiking championship in Switzerland

Teach, Learn, Share

I adore trying out new things and getting to know more stuff.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happiness, interesting talks, my life experience during traveling, my cooking skills, my energy, laughing and having a good time,...

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Italy, Kosovo, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Namibia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, United States, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, Togo