Barak Ratzker's Photo

Unverified Profile

  • Payment not verified
  • Phone verified
  • Government ID not verified

Maybe Accepting Guests

  • Last login 5 days ago

Join Couchsurfing to see Barak’s full profile.

Overview

  • 46 references 38 Confirmed & Positive
  • Fluent in English, Hebrew (modern); learning French, German, Romanian
  • 36, Male
  • Member since 2010
  • Postdoc
  • PhD in Material Engineering
  • No hometown listed
  • Profile 100% complete

About Me

I'm a 31 year old human being, very friendly, imaginative and easy going!
Nowadays I'm on the second year of my PhD, in Materials engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva.
Apart from normal day to day life (which sometimes can be a drag :P) I'm always in search of new experiences, meetings with interesting people, far away landscapes, different cultures, expanding my knowledge and have a good laugh frequently as possible.I'm pretty independent, yet still very social! and I love using my own two hands for everything from handy work to artwork.That's it.. in a Nutshell, the rest you will get to know when we meet :)

Let the good times roll!

PHILOSOPHY

I feel that I don't have a fully developed philosophy yet, but still I can say this much..
Time is the most valuable resource and I try to live life to the fullest :)

and in the words of a great poet:

"there are worse things
than being alone
but it often takes
decades to realize this
and most often when you do
it's too late
and there's nothing worse
than too late"
-Charles Bukowski

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Hosting when I'm home and surfing when traveling!
And maybe go to meetings etc' when it's possible.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had a couple of great experiences in the USA and lots of great experiences in Europe!

Hosted a few times in Israel.

So far it has been awesome, hoping to host plenty more now that I am in be'er sheva!

Interests

Music- mostly rock, metal, folk, jazz and blues (and I play some guitar).
I love live music , from small ensembles in dim pubs to loud concerts!
Reading is a big passion of mine, reading- mostly fiction, fantasy and sci-fi. There is always a book on my bed stand :)
Sometimes I even try to do some writing myself..
I workout occasionally and like doing sports, and try in general to eat healthy.
Drawing is and always will be a favored hobby!
I like going out, enjoying nature and trekking, as well as spending a night out with friends in the bar.
I spend some of my time on the Computer and was a bit of a gamer back in the day. I also like watching movies, Anime and TV series. I like traveling in Israel and abroad. I'd enjoy any outdoor experience.
My interests also include: animals and wildlife, crafting, chemistry, biology, physics, history and basically anything.

  • animals
  • wildlife
  • writing
  • books
  • concerts
  • anime
  • movies
  • reading
  • tv
  • traveling
  • drawing
  • music
  • live music
  • jazz
  • guitar
  • blues
  • outdoor activities
  • surfing
  • sports
  • biology
  • chemistry
  • engineering
  • history
  • physics

Music, Movies, and Books

There's plenty so here are some examples:

Some of my favorite movies: Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Fight Club, The Prestige, Kill Bill, Fearless, Into the Wild.
TV series: The Office, Seinfeld, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Parks & Rec and many different Anime.

Some of my favorite bands/musicians: Iron Maiden, Megadeth, R.E.M, Bob Dylan, Dire Straits, Tom Waits, Gogol Bordello, Sonata Arctica, In Flames, My Chemical Romance, Bon Jovi, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, ZZ Top, Green Day, Amy Macdonald, Jethro Tull, Al Stewart, System of a Down, The Who, Regina Spektor, Shuli Rand, The Tallest Man On Earth.

Some of my favorite books and Authors: Lord of the Rings, Ken Follet, Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Doomsday Book, Dune series, Children of the Earth series, Jack Kerouac, Ender's Game, Song of Ice and Fire, Shogun, Ilium, The Passage.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

16,000 miles of road trip in north america in under three months, mostly just sleeping in our van, waking up somewhere else every day and feeling the life on the road!

Teach, Learn, Share

I don't know if I can really teach anything but I do have some knowledge in some areas..
Maybe some basic guitar? are you interested in the wonderful world of materials?

I would love to learn anything you throw at me!
and at the moment some German would be nice :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Israel, United States

Old School Badges

  • 2 Vouches

Join Couchsurfing to see Barak’s full profile.

My Groups