CURRENT MISSION

KEI-week is the best and most magical time of year; I visited Groningen for the first time in 2012, on my first trip to The Netherlands. By pure coincidence, KEI-week was happening at the same time! In 2016 I came to Groningen for study - to get a Master's in History, which I am still working on - got my master's thesis and internship to finish. When I got here, I got to be IN KEI-week...and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. :) I want to make sure I have a place to stay during this time, preferably with someone else who loves the vibes of this wonderful time, so we can go and make the most of it together!

ABOUT ME

I am full of energy and enthusiasm (unless I'm tired...heh), love meeting new people, and think different cultures are great! I have a lot of interests in all sorts of disciplines, and have trouble finding the time to do all of them in a day or week. It allows for some flexibility - when the weather's nice, I can go exploring, for a bike ride, or play some sort of outside sport; when it's not so nice, I love playing card games and video games!

PHILOSOPHY

This is a tough question to answer; possibly because it has to be simple enough to encapsulate one's inner-feelings, but not just being some sort of simple, clichéd blanket statement.

I like to orientate my life around positivity and doing good - paying forward the goodness that has been granted to me and making others' lives better. It is also a good experience for myself to do this. I like to volunteer my time and money for organisations that try to do good, and I also like to engage on a personal level; few things can compare to directly helping a good friend, or even a stranger! Making others' lives better makes your own better, and perhaps it's possible to leave a positive impression on others by seeing your good deeds and actions. It's great!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

This is so broad a question...how I participate in the programme, life, or???

I'll go with participating in this organisation! I have not had a lot experience with it just yet, though I've hosted through CS (two Poles and a Ukranian+Polish expat living in Ukraine!) and been hosted by people in The Netherlands and the US! Also went to a meeting of Couchsurfers in Vienna when I was living there; what an amazing community they've got there! I am looking to do some couch surfing when I travel currently, but my living situation right now makes it unlikely that I will be able to host, and it will not change until late next year. When I have my own place, I will be happy to open up my home once more!

(Outside of CS, I've hosted 7 Japanese Middle Schoolers over the course of 5 years. This was through a Sister Cities programme and was tonnes of fun!)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've had at least somewhat of a couch-surfing experience in China, Japan, and The Netherlands; in the former case, I stayed with a host family overnight as part of my People to People trip; in the latter two, I was staying with friends. I have also hosted Japanese students for a few days for six years, though that was back in the USA when I shared a home with my parents. I'd totally do it again if I could, but until I graduate, I do not think that I will be able to host. I'll just have to wait until I get my own place! Soon!!!

Interests

Oh boy...so many things. (ENFP; 'nough said?) I like video games - mostly strategy, RPG, and the odd fighting game; tennis; badminton; racquet-ball; ping-pong; martial arts; Legend of the Five Rings; D&D; poker; football (not the American kind - I call it handegg!); swimming; languages; world history; learning about science; trying new things. That's probably sufficient for now!

I am also highly curious, so hearing a good story or learning about a wide swath of topics, be they academic, cultural, philosophical,

• arts
• dining
• recipes
• vegan
• video games
• reading
• traveling
• poker
• cycling
• surfing
• sports
• martial arts
• soccer
• tennis
• swimming
• badminton
• history
• languages
• science
• volunteering
• au-pair

Music, Movies, and Books

I am interested in a lot of different types of music, but I'll just list what I've been listening to a lot of recently: at the time of writing this, I've been steeped in traditional music, mostly Noh/Kabuki music from Japan, guitar music from the Near East, and some Celtic rhythms. I've been on a binge for Finnish hip-hop, 90s music from the US, contemporary Dutch stuff (JVT, anyone?), and the odd contemporary song from the US, e.g. "I'm Ready" by AJR. (Thanks past me for writing that song - I'd forgotten about it! hahaha)

For books, I'm really into reading about military history up until the early 19th century...pretty niche, I'd say, but it's just because it's one of those topics that are difficult to learn about through, say, classes or articles! For my studies, I'm reading a lot about Maoism and the political circumstances in India and Nepal - I'm interested in my topics, but of course, I'm also required to read about them! Most of the reading I do is in the form of blogs and articles. I love learning and am more connected to the internet than I'd like to be, but I DO get a lot of information from it!

Not that into movies. I'll watch it if I think it'll be good, like anything from Studio Ghibli, Pixar, Disney, the Kill Bill movies, Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars...I do like Horror movies, too! Probably have the biggest soft spot for gay-themed movies, as I've sought quite a few out and watched them. Most of the non-gay movies are pretty nerdy! XD

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Although I don't think pure *talent* got me there, I was once ranked no. 1 in the Bitmap Turret Defence game on Crunchyroll. If you wanna know the best strategy, I'm sure mine is still it, hahaha

I've got a whole life ahead of me, so I'm hoping to be able to put down a bigger, more philanthropic accomplishment!

Teach, Learn, Share

TEACH
I have a wide breadth of knowledge. Lately, I've been reading up A LOOOT about food - what's good for you, what isn't, what tastes good, etc. I'm not an expert, and I'm much more interested in vegan-related food (since I've been a vegan since 1 May 2013!), and yes, I do cook!

The other things I'm most qualified to teach? I'd say debating, rowing, martial arts, fencing, and politics/social policy!

LEARN
Dutch is a really good one - I'm possibly at, say, B1-level by now, but I want to get better! New vegan recipes would also be great - always in for that! I love to dance, so improving my repertoire of movement styles would also be greatly appreciated!

SHARE
I'll put it in the section below!

What I Can Share with Hosts

This is a tough one...I would be happy to share stories, philosophical points of view, politics (if you're not interested, not to worry - I can keep my opinions to myself!), and if you like, my cooking!

I'm usually pretty chatty, enthusiastic, and curious; I also like to go out and can be sometimes useful at pub quizzes - if nothing else, I should be able to make sure you're enjoying yourself when I'm staying with you!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Netherlands, United States