I'm a 28 year old human from the beautiful but sometimes boring city of Vienna in Austria. Originally I've studied International Business Administration but in recent years I've become much more interested in developing on a personal level and exploring the world than in pursuing any type of career. My interests mostly revolve around plants and permaculture, healthy and ecological nutrition, meditation, psychotherapy and other things.

I just returned home from a long phase of travelling which I started in Jan 2023 on the canary islands. I was then in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Iraq and Nepal. After that I spent a couple months in India, travelled from north to south, then some time in Sri Lanka, back to India and then went home because I was so exhausted from travelling already and started to get really unwell physically. Now I'm still recovering my health and trying to clear my confusion of being back a bit. I honestly don't know where I'm going with this or where I'm going in life in general. And that's okay - I believe that being lost can be a very valuable part of one's personal development. Being lost and confused teaches you to tune into yourself and feel more and more deeply what it is that you actually want. What it is that is missing...
And only once you realize this clearly can you take the steps to go where you want to be. And in the end, probably we don't need to be anywhere anyway. If we just are purely who we are that's all that matters :)
I try my best to see the world with loving and curious eyes each and every day. And every day I'm learning more about what I need to stay balanced, how to express myself, how to set boundaries and about the cultures and lifestyles of people in other countries. I also do Vipassana meditation twice a day, which helps me a lot with these things.

At any places where I can meet open-minded people and live healthily I will happily stay.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

In my opinion it's the best way to truly get to know the people and the culture of a country. During my travels I've been invited many times to people's homes and also stayed with different families that had homestays. These were always the most wholesome and rewarding interactions with locals, where I felt like "this is what I'm travelling for". These experiences taught me the most about the countries I've been in and even better, some friendships resulted from them as well.
So now I thought why not seek these meetings a bit more actively through this platform that so many people love?

Interests

• meditation
• walking
• reading
• hiking
• psychology
• mountains
• nature
• spirituality
• permaculture
• plants
• ayurveda
• psychotherapy
• healthy nutrition

Music, Movies, and Books

I actually don't listen to music that much but when I do, it's usually something chill and relaxing.
Some artist I like: Khruangbin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dire Straits, Hilltop Hoods, Enya, London Grammar, Tinariwen, Deuter (and many I can't think of now)
I also enjoy classical music, piano, mantra chantings, nature sounds, soothing melodies - things that transmit an atmosphere of peace and serenity (rather than being entertainment)

Some movies I like: Ghibli movies, Captain Fantastic (really like that one), Into the Wild, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, ... regarding series my all time favorites are probably True Detective and Rick and Morty
I haven't seen a full Bollywood movie yet - I'd be open for recommendations!

Books that come to mind: The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle), Letting Go (David Hawkins), Sacred Economics (Charles Eisenstein), Start with Why (Simon Sinek), The China Study (Colin Campbell) and a bunch of German ones

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travelling through Iraq last summer.
It was the first country I've been to that's really "off the beaten path" and I loved it.
Most people think of Iraq as a desolate warzone but it's actually very safe now, they have a Visa on Arrival and the people are the warmest and most hospitable people I've ever met!
I visited a bunch of historical places there, had many tasty falafel sandwiches with amba and also got to experience the full summer heat of the Middle East (49° on the hottest days).

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to learn about local customs, food, beliefs, daily life, language, etc.
I'm also super interested in nutrition, new recipes, wild herbs, nice spots in nature, handcraft skills, ...

What I Can Share with Hosts

I know a lot about healthy nutrition and am constantly experimenting with different diets, foods, cooking styles, etc.
I enjoy cooking so I'm always happy to prepare something or cook together.
I also know quite a bit about gardening, plants and nature and I'm good at caring for plants. So if you have house plants or a garden that need some care, I'm eager to help and give suggestions :)
Originally I studied international business, so I also have a decent understanding of economics, but I doubt that anyone is interested in learning that... hehe

Countries I’ve Visited

Egypt, India, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tunisia

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Canada, Germany