CURRENT MISSION

Aspiring visual designer, passionate about design, extreme sports, adventure and life. Communication & Multimedia Design student at NHL University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands. Constantly looking for new experiences, knowledge and challenges. A life were I can push myself forward and grow every single day, that is what I envision for my journey through life.

ABOUT ME

I’m a straight open minded guy from the Netherlands. I find great joy in meeting new people around the world and to learn about their life perspective. I view life as a big adventure where I can collect memories and experiences. These experience help me to grow personally. Couchsurfing is a great platform where all these elements come together, which I am fortunate to have experienced during my travels around the world and as host in the Netherlands.

I’m a student from the Netherlands where I am learning about different aspects of design, photography and cinematography. Incase you're curious you can look up some work here: http://christiaansijbranda.nl

Traveling is all about new experiences and lets me see the world with different eyes. It is a great inspiration source for solving problems and new ideas as a designer.

My ambition to travel brought me on different places throughout the world. In the spring semester of 2013 I started my exchange semester in South Korea as a student in visual communication design and music. After Korea I took another opportunity to go on exchange again. This time in Guadalajara, Mexico. After this me and my friend Timon traveled through South America. You can read my experiences on the blog here: http://christiaansijbranda.nl/category/blog/

My free time is mostly spend around friends and having a good time together. Making music on my piano is one of my favorite things to do. You can also spot me with a camera from time to time. Photography and cinematography are activity of mine that i love to do. You can check out some work here: www.christiaansijbranda.vsco.co

My sports have one thing in common, which is: floating’ (well sort of). I started to swim on a competitive level when i was 5 years old and i still love to swim today. My other activity is skydiving, where i can float in the air and practice and improve my aerodynamics in the air.

PHILOSOPHY

Respect, treat others as you treat yourself. Thats the only rule i lived by!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My travels are mainly focused on learning and understanding about different cultures. Using couchsurfing gives me a better understanding of the world and the people I meet along the way make my travel experience unique.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Been couchsurfing in the United States, Canada, Russia and now in South America. Along these countries I met great people. People that care and makes you feel welcome in their home. Generally they are interested in my story and everyone has a story to tell. This is what makes couchsurfing a unique feature in my travel experience. Besides this they also know the best places in town and to experience it in a local of the beaten path style. The way i like to travel!

In russia it felt like i was visiting friends along the way, it really enjoyed the experience of meeting new people and the feeling of being able to step in their lives for a while. For a more look into my Russia CS experience i can recommend watching some videos i made at: https://vimeo.com/channels/470052

Besides that i had some experiences in Turkey where i slept at the local student houses for an international project. It made me realize that it's really a unique experience and gives much closer insights in a different culture!

Interests

design, photography, piano, skydiving, swimming, traveling, having conversations, relax, live in the moment, branding, nature.

Music, Movies, and Books

My music taste is mixed, like classical, jazz piano, indie rock, and electronic music.

As for movies, i can recommend "The intouchables".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of them is skydiving, being totally free and 100% in the moment... i love it!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you a thing or 2 about: Photography, Design, Piano playing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Peru, Russian Federation, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea