I'm starting my PhD in September of 2018, in the Northern Dutch city of Groningen. I've never lived there before, so I'm super keen to stay with some people there while I get settled and look forward to opening my home to travelers or (future) residents looking for more permanent accommodation. I did my Master's degree in Stirling, Scotland, after having lived the last eight years in Holland (the Hague and Utrecht). Before that, I lived in Asia for a while, which is where my passion for travelling was born.
I'm relatively active, but have spent the last couple years doing more chilling than running.
I love chatting, and finding a balance between keeping it light and fluffy and getting deep, often in combination with a good beer or wine.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfers have been staying with me for the last three years, as my housemate was an avid couch surfer himself.
Now that I am moving to a new city, I figured I would appreciate it if I could stay with others while I get settled, and once I am settled I want to give back to the community that has (hopefully) been so receptive, and show others around this awesome little city.

Interests

• beer
• running
• politics
• movies
• cycling
• backpacking
• surfing
• snowboarding
• squash
• sustainability
• tv shows
• bars
• pool
• longboarding
• craft beer
• chilling
• ice hockey
• behavioral psychology
• snowboard
• behavioral economics

Music, Movies, and Books

I love lots of music, but tend to cycle through different genres every now and again.
I currently listen to a LOT of 90's/ old school hip hop, and have been to some jawdropping concerts over the last years.
I also love electronic music, ranging from some classic house (I am Dutch, after all), to techno, trance, and hardstyle/hardcore, which I mainly enjoy at festivals like WeAreElectric.
I love some classic rock, electro swing, and even some poppy singer songwriter music from time to time.

In terms of movies, I can appreciate most critically acclaimed movies, but also love a really silly (stoner) comedy!
I love a good documentary, and am currently going through a bit of a Netflix docu-drama binge (like the People vs. O.J. Simpson, Manhunt: UNABOMBER, etc.)

I've never been much of a reader - although I loved the Darren Shan Saga as a kid - but have gotten into mainly pop-sci books over the last couple of years. This has ranged from somewhat relevant reading to my university courses, to books on philosophy, Buddhism, Taoism, but have also given novels like Outlander and Game of Thrones a go. It's not that I don't like reading, which I do, but I often find myself not making time for reading, as I much prefer to hang out with friends outdoors, or watch a show or movie with someone else.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

From January - June of 2018, I finally went backpacking by myself for 5 months, traveling from Mexico down to Colombia.
I've always loved traveling, but until that point, had always traveled with friends or family; never by myself.
The experience was incredibly rewarding, as I got to see a part of the world that I hadn't been to yet (I've now been to all continents except for Antarctica!); learn/ develop my Spanish, in which I am now conversational; meet incredible people along the way, both locals and other travelers - some of whom I've since met up with in Europe; and to simply figure out what traveling solo is like, namely amazing. I found that as much as I love social situations and will tend to seek out other people and mingle very quickly once I find myself in a new setting, it was also incredibly valuable to realise that I loved a solid travel day, by myself, just staring out of the window of a way-too-packed chicken bus, getting lost in the scenery and my thoughts.
I thought that was pretty cool, but there was one experience that I won't forget for a while.
During that trip I also got mugged 2 days before I was supposed to fly back home, and while at some point they took my phone, wallet, sunglasses, and even my shoes off me while holding a machete to my throat, I actually managed to de-escalate the situation, and negotiate with the muggers to give me back everything, starting with the shoes, my phone, my wallet (minus the petty cash I had in there), and even my sunglasses! This was the final unintentional indicator I needed to tell me I was now properly conversational in Spanish!
That was a pretty amazing feeling.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've been a tutor in high school maths, physics and economics for about 5 years and have been teaching IB exam revision courses. I've also tutored math at a bachelor level to friends, and would be happy to help, if this is something you're struggling with (and if I can remember).

I also love anything with a board, so whether it's surfing, snowboarding or longboarding (most applicable in the Netherlands), I'd love to share my passion and take you for a ride on one of my extra longboards.

Other than that, I'd love to share my obsession with TV shows with someone, and binge with someone. Take your pick.. my tv interests are quite broad.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My couch (as soon as I have one), whether for sleeping, chatting, drinking, watching TV, or a combination of all 4.
Food - I'm a vegetarian, but like to cook and find new recipes
One of my longboards, to go explore the city of Groningen and the area.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Netherlands, Scotland, Sri Lanka