I'm Isabelle, I'm 23 years old and Belgian. I've recently graduated as an architectural engineer in Brussels, where I am currently living and working as an architect/urbanist. Designing public space and understanding how people act and interact in the city is my passion. A nice life goal would be to create bike-friendly places in Brussels - biking here still freaks me out unfortunately! I live in a small house in Brussels, in the back of a garden with my boyfriend and my 2 cats. I consider myself a crazy cat lady.

I love learning and discovering new things, which is also why I am fond of traveling. I especially love to travel a bit off the beaten track and going to rather uncommon places or travelling uncommon ways. I will always try to make local friends and try to understand local culture. You won't find me in a multiple-star-all-in-hotel or on an organised tour.

I'm quite easy-going and I particularly don't like describing myself since there is so much I'd want to tell you, and I am sure we'll find some interesting things to talk about!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think it's a great added value to meet people from all over the world and hear about their lives, interests and adventures. It makes me more understanding and more tolerant. And of course it's always nice to help people in need out! :)

Currently we live in a rather small place with space for 1 person (sleeping mat on the floor in a small separate room). If you don't mind cats, we have a sofa in the living room as well, but the cats tend to get a little active at night so we can't guarantee a good night's sleep...

I hosted Julia, Sindy and Anna from Germany and two guys named Ben, both from Australia - not at the same time though, with whom I discovered Brussels nightlife.

Had my first surfing experience in Kiruna, Swedish Lapland last winter, where I stayed with my crazily super wonderful host Tommy. I also broke my wrist during a CS ice skating meetup and there are no words to describe how grateful I am to Anneliese, Elena and her friends for taking me to the hospital and keeping me company and making me smile when I was a little sad ;) My other host Ida also took great care of me and I have to say sorry to Gustav and Magnus for not enjoying their company when I flew home earlier! :)

Interests

At the moment I'm not earning that much money so I am saving on about everything to save some money for my travels. That's why there's fairly little partying and dining, and a lot more reading, taking photographs, cooking, knitting and cat-cuddling for now.

As an architect and urbanist I really like to just walk around the city, discover new places and observe people. I'm also passionated by contemporary visual art - creating as well as discovering it. Sometimes I really feel like creating a physical something nice, which is why I experience with making jewelry (from crystal and leather scraps), knitting, sewing, and so on.

Music, Movies, and Books

That's a long list!

Movies:
Mr. Nobody, The Fountain, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Le Fabuleux Destin D'€™Amé©lie Poulain, Into the Wild, ... and animation as my guilty pleasure!

Literature:
Salman Rushdie, Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, some Belgian & Dutch authors, books on architecture & urbanism.

Music:
The XX, Florence & The Machine, Daughter, Coeur de pirate, ...
I listen to house music (Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Nu, Hraach, Worakls, ...) or film music when I have to concentrate deeply on work, as these calm me down. And I enjoy relaxing at home with some jazz vinyl.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I like to be amazed, so I try to consider a lot of things amazing.

Number one, two and three are without a doubt for travelling Iran with my love, for travelling solo in Lapland - where I learnt how to make a fire, even though I am secretly a bit scared of fire - and for backpacking Morocco with my friends, where we learnt to bake Moroccan pancakes and did a great multi-day hike in the mountains! :) I also went to Fruhlingfest, the spring-equivalent of Oktoberfest in Munich to visit my brother, which was absolutely remarkable!

During my Erasmus exchange I lived in Paris which was absolutely wonderful: an iconic city that never sleeps... in which I had to opportunity to discover all sides, also those that visitors in general don't see.

In University, I was president of the Student Council, which allowed me to improve the lives of all students.

Other things I consider amazing is the fact that we can walk our cats on a leash (awesome!), that I finally managed to reach a certain level of modesty and true respect for the world by buying not too much stuff, if necessary buying fair and ethical stuff and trying to eat in an ethical, biological and sometimes vegetarian way.

Teach, Learn, Share

I speak Dutch, French and English and would love to have a nice conversation with you in any of these (or any other way, too).

I can tell you about the architecture and urbanism in Brussels and Flanders.

In university, I enjoyed the very particular Brussels student tradition, which most certainly has some surprises for you to know!

I like cooking, but I'm not particularly good at making the typical Belgian dishes. It would be a lot of fun to try them out together though! I like to know about your local dishes as well and maybe try them out as well?

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share with you my interest of architecture and urbanism, anywhere in the world.

I can make great ad-hoc food from scraps, which I would love to share with you. Oh, and of course I also like to make proper food.

I can share my travel stories and if you like...
I might bring you some Belgian beers too!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, France