CURRENT MISSION

Well. Now I started thinking about it. I decided to travel alone for the first time when I was just 20 years old.
I said to myself, what is one of the most unknown countries of Europe? I figured out Moldova and its non recognized neighbour 'Transnistria' had to do the trick and I started planning my 'journey'.
I did not decide to just simply take the plane out there. No, too easy, the trains and buses trough Europe would take me there. So I started out on an early morning in my hometown Ghent, passing the familiar Belgian landscapes of to Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and so eventually into Moldova. It took me one couchsurfing sleep in Brno, one illegal sleep on the train hiding myself away in Romania, one unexpected invitation from a stranger when I was stranded in the border town of Iasi and one dodgy ride into the unknown. That was quite clear when the Moldovan officials asked me angrily: 'What are you doing in my country?' You know that you are leaving the EU?'

Until this day I have never regret that decision. I know that in the beginning it was so unclear about how I would arrange everything out. How do I have to communicate with the locals in a language I don't know? How to read other alphabets? Who to trust? But in the end everything sorts itself out. I takes your intuition to guide you trough your travel.

Since then I've ventured all by myself trough countries as China and Tibet, Nepal, India, the Maldives, Poland and Romania.
It brought me experiences such as:
Lecturing young journalists in Transnistria.
Fishing on the private island of the current president of the Maldives.
Partying in a private penthouse on a skyscraper in Shanghai.
Watching the world cup in a lonely bar in Tibet at 5000 mrs height.
Being invited in the house of a millionaire in New Delhi.
Playing a deck of cards with a Chinese family on the train from Lhasa to Shanghai.
Performing in a Nepalese movie.
...

If you want to get to know yourself the only thing I can say is just head out of your comfort zone. Life doesn't always have to be that complicated it's you and your surroundings. You only have to compromise with yourself.
Sure not all moments are fun, and boy things do can get intense on the negative side. For example when you are hold at gunpoint, or when they pepper spray you and throw you on the ground robbing your whole backpack, or when a guy slaps you for no reason in your face. But most of the times it's nothing more than a bad memory and the following days you will encounter positive things that make you forget about all the shit you've dealed with. And these moments where it feels like your body, your surroundings and the people around you falls all into one pure moment are just plain gold you don't even have to try to describe.

It's a moment you have experienced. You and only you. Don't try to share it, it won't work. It's something for yourself. A part of your individuality that nobody can takes away. Something you have to cherish and can keep for yourself.

ABOUT ME

It's rather difficult to write something about mself, but it's worth it giving it a try!

To start with: like to be independent, don't really want to have a fixed life and want to make my own choices and thus be flexible.
That reflects as well my personality.
eager to get to know people, to reflect on new opinions, and always have the urge to explore new countries.

Besides, I guess we have to do good for the people environment around us. So respect is one of my keywords. But words like activeness, spontaneousness, and craziness are fitting me as well. With an active life and a lack of sleep I'm still very optimistic :-)

Anyway, if you want to get to know more about me, I guess meeting me will be more honest ;-)

But if you want to know more about me now I guess -you got to read the references, although I suppose that people who are travelling have better things to do then reading profiles on CS

PHILOSOPHY

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Interests

Other cultures to have a different approach t your own culure and personality, my obsession of photography, trying to understand politics and the abuse of power, social issues, ecologism adn why that is not are biggest concern on earth, partying but rather in underground places where the creativity unfolds itself, reading, hiking and wandering around in remote landscapes or even your street but always absorbing the present moment, skateboarding, parkour,...

• photography
• environment
• partying
• politics
• reading
• traveling
• drums
• fishing
• hiking
• backpacking
• sailing
• skateboarding
• world cup
• tourism
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

I have a deep love for electronic music. But more the alternative form like, techno, deep house, minimal, electronica, ambient, ragga.
One of my favorite cities for some spontaneous parties and feel good moments is Berlin. Can't wait till the weather is good again and we can enjoy open air parties on the old airport of Tempelhof, Katerholzig,...

Anyway here are some of my favourites: Apparat, Aphex Twin, Amon Tobin, Anthony Rother, Booka Shade, Dave Clarke, DJ Rush, DJ Shadow, Ellen Alien, Etienne De Crecy, Faithless, Green Velvet, Flying Lotus, The Hacker, James Holden, Jamie XX, Jeff Mills, The Knife, Kraftwerk, Laurent Garnier, Leftfield, M.A.N.D.Y, M.I.A, Massive Attack, Miss Kittin, Miss Yetti, Modeselektor, Moderat, Nathan Fake, Orbital, The Prodigy, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos, Royksopp, Slam, Squarepusher, St-Germain, Sven Vath, Talvin Singh, Thomas Anderson, Tiefsschwarz, Underworld, Zongamin, and many more electronic music.... Besides I can appreciate Jazz and world music

Movies: Lost Highway, Funny Games, Memento, Natural Born Killers, The Usual Suspect, Black Cat White Cat, Das Leben Der Anderen, Mulholland Drive, Babel, Requiem For A Dream,The meaning of life, PI, C'est arrivé près de chez vous, Grand Budapest Hotel, Chopper, Boyhood,....

Books: Schokdoctrine (Naomi Klein), Humanitaire interventies (Jean Bricmont), Shantaram, The hungry City, Eating Animals, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Fast Food Nation

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of the best experiences I've ever done was hiking with my best friend in the mountains in Turkey (Lycian Way) at the age of 16.
In the mountains we met a modern sjamaan who offered us refugee in his mountainhouse, which was located on a cliff from where we had a wonderfull view over the bays.
While the twilight set in, he played on his sjaman drums while he offered us some sweet, good, old, natural 'ganja' which brought us in an other consciousness. ,... After he had finished playing his drums he gave a massage to his, halfnaked girlfriend. Quite special for us, but the atmosphere was natural.
It still seems like an illusion :-)

Teach, Learn, Share

For me the title is the perfect statement of what life has to offer, exchange things, learn to think in a different perspective and have some respect to others in living your life

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Austria, Benin, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Togo, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Belgium, Benin

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