Hi!

I'm Ben. Currently I'm working as an AR Collector in Budapest.
I enjoy reading, hanging out with people, playing the guitar, even the odd cooking sometimes.
I'm also into literature and poetry.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Like most people on couchsurfing, I love to travel.
I find this page a good opportunity to meet people around the globe for a talk, for an adventure or maybe for a pint.

Interests

I like to play music, hike, read and hang out with people.
I kind of believe that certain people were born to meet.
You never know whom you'll meet on the road but friends can definitely be found.

• culture
• literature
• poetry
• dining
• cooking
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• guitar
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• swimming
• languages
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I like almost every type of music apart from death metal.
Even though the melodic type of it is quite all right actually. Nothing helps you more while studying or washing the dishes than In Flames' Clayman record.
Most of the time I listen to British bands e.g. Delays, Editors or The Doves.
During Autumns and Winters I enjoy something darker like Architects, Bring Me The Horizon, Paradise Lost or The Angelic Process.
And if it's party time, Deptford Goth, Assemblage 23 or Kasabian are definitely on the playlist.

I've always liked good movies. Originally I really loved action movies with Bruce Willis or Chuck Norris. I also loved (and still do) the Bud Spencer-Terence Hill flicks.
Later on I became interested in Scandinavian movies and I still think something special is going on there. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (remade in English), Let me in! (also remade in English) or The Bothersome Man are all perfect examples how I imagine a good movie nowadays.
But who knows the future? Maybe ten years later I'll go for the good old Louis de Funés films!

Aged four, I read my first book which was the Wizard of Oz.
I did not like it.
But luckily it did not put me off reading so later on I read the Lord of the Rings books, various Sherlock Holmes novels and a lot of science fiction books.
Today I mostly read Swedish books (Jacob Wallenberg, Karin Boye and John Ajvide Lindquist all wrote memorable stuff) because of my studies.
When I have some free time, I quite like just to look at some map and imagine how the area looks like.
Or will look like.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have experienced a lot of brilliant stuff.
Taking the ferry from Mallaig to the Isle of the Skye was one of them.
Paddling across Teusajaure in the Swedish part of Lapland was also definitely memorable even though that was the first time I paddled and I could not swim.
The most amazing thing I've done is really hard to pick though.
If I must, I'd go for the hitchiking-hiking adventure which I did in the state of New York.
It was the Summer of 2014 and the Devil's Path beckoned me and a couple of fellow travellers. We managed to hitchike across the state of New York (which was illegally done according to some local sheriff), camping in the wilderness amongst literally legions of bear and complete a bit of the famous hiking trail (which stood true to its name) before hitching a ride again and ending up in the lovely town of Phoenicia.
It was both crazy and unforgettable.

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to teach.
My native language is kind of an odd thing because there are some rumours which claim that it is the second hardest language to learn. The same rumour has it that the toughest one to learn is Mandarin Chinese which says it all really.
My third language Swedish also scares most of the people for some reason so I go for teaching English - but if you'd be interested in the other ones, feel free to tell me.

I like to learn too.
I've always been interested in languages. The first foreign one which I encountered was Romanian which I really liked.
Later on German and English arrived too.
I do think that learning a new language opens up something like a secret door into a culture and helps one to understand others better.
So if I'll end up on your sofa, I'll definitely ask some questions about yours!

To share?
I was born in Eastern Europe where sharing things is quite common. I don't mean sharing one's bike or used socks are common here but don't be surprised if you see people sharing their drinks, food or cigarettes.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Guests:
Food, drinks definitely.
Also my knowledge about the local hills if you're the hiking type.

Hosts: I can share my tales with you - if you like to share yours, it's the better.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Germany, Hungary, Scotland, United States