Hi everyone!

My name is Bert, I'm 23 years old and a recent graduate from tropical agriculture. Ever wanted to learn something about bananas? I'm your man!

I'm fresh, adventurous, ready to experience new things and interested in nearly everything ("Curiosity is my middle name"). My view on travelling can best be described by a quote by Mark Twain:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” -- Mark Twain

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am on couchsurfing to keep learning. I firmly believe every person is better than me in one or the other aspect in their life, and by knowing this, I always learn from them. Every meeting, wheter it be good or bad, makes an impression on you.

I like meeting new people from all over the world, and what better way to meet them than sleeping on their couch :D. Getting to know the areas you visit through a local's perspective: off the beaten track; what a way of travelling!

Interests

I can find something interesting in everything, but my main interests include:

Music, running, books, travel, partying (!), comic books, cooking and generally having a good time with friends and family. I like conversing with people and have a huge desire to always keep learning.

"Ah, that's how a toilet works, fascinating", "I never knew those flowers also existed in purple", "You mean to say tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable?" , ... . I guesss you get the idea ;)

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: the Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, Daft Punk, David Bowie, Otis Redding, Django Reinhardt, and many more.
Favourite song: Into my arms by Nick Cave

Movies: my all time favourite movie is "Fantastic Mr. Fox" by Wes Anderson.

Books: The books of Roaldh Dahl will always have a special place in my heart. Still to this day I think my biggest wish in life would be to visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory! Honourable mentions are the adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) and the Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

For my thesis research I spent several months on the slopes of Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania researching the banana-based farming systems. I am forever gratefull to have been given this opportunity and loved every moment of it! Two events will remain in my mind forever:

The first one was the ascent of Old Doynio Lengai a.k.a. the Mountain of God in the Northern rift valley of Tanzania. We climbed the volcano by night with headlights, given the lack of shade would make it impossible during the day. After a few hours, me and my friends arrived at the top just in time to see the sunrise. The sulfur fumes, ashy terrain and clear starry night made way to the most breathtaking sunrise I have ever seen. We could see lake Natron as a turquoise spot in the distance and Mt. Kilimanjaro to the South-east. After taking in the scenery, we slid back down the mountain in loose ash in the morning sun.

The second event consists of motorrides through the banana and maize fields of the study area. This was the usual way of transport, but the skill and acrobacy of the drivers was unparallelled; They really tamed their bikes and (a few heartattacks later) always dropped me of safely where I needed to be.

Teach, Learn, Share

Too much to list up, but still too little to make a difference :). Anyhow, I still want you to be surprised when you get to know me ;)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm an open book and I share whatever comes in my mind.

Being Belgian, I know a fair amount of beer and I would love to share some beers with my hosts. One beer, 2 beers, 3 beers, ... . I know alot of "beer rituals" from my time at university, which are guaranteed to be a success!

I can do the dishes, clean up and even cook!! During my/your stay I promise a hearthy smile, good conversations and fun, fun, FUN!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, France, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Germany, Tanzania