Welkom, Vitajemo, Welcome, Benvenute, Hosgeldiniz, Bienvenue, Willkommen, Kalos Orisate, Witamy, Marhaba, Bienvenidos, nice to meet you !

My name is Nicola and I'm a Personal Trainer from Belgium.
I currently have a business in Lanaken (close to Maastricht) but operate in the entire province and a little bit abroad.

I live together with the love of my life, Mariia from Kiev.
She has a masters degree in foreign literature and tourism so together we can provide you with interesting facts and insights about the region where I live and she used to live.
(Google maps => Lanaken => Radius of 15-20km /// or just about Kiev)

I have an untameable curiosity and I'm interested in a lot of cultures/subcultures so if you would like to know more we could always meet up and philosophise over beers then feel free to contact me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Many years ago when I was in college I met this fearless little woman (Shana) who invited people over in our building to offer them a place to stay and socialise. She told me about the meets, about the nice sides and the nasty sides, we sometimes even went out together drinking with some of them.

I knew about Couchsurfing from school or Wwoofing and such things but only her experience made me like it, also, it was a nice way to meet people since I had a clear passion of moving abroad. I could use couchsurfing to make friendships and if I lacked the money for a hotel I could stay with friends.

Like the story about the father and his son, the father said if you're good and work hard for it someday you will have a place to stay in every city, the son takes it to heart and some day owns a house in every city in his country and when he shows his father, his father shakes his head and said if you were kind to everyone you would've made many friends and you would have a place to stay in every city without needing any money.
(In a way, I'm sorry if I tell the story wrong :p )

And not just for myself, but many years after signing up, my Mariia ,who adores travelling and has seen +45 countries also used Couchsurfing as a female solotraveller, told me about her stories so it's nice to provide for a safe place to make travelling worth while.

I never made any contacts, even though I once tried to join one of these Couchsurfing meetings in Antwerp years ago, but maybe in the future. I'm already updating my profile so that's a first step :p

Interests

Here are some random things that might break the ice...

I have a wife
I have Italian roots (mother:Sardegna / father:Genzano Di Lucania/Caserta)
I love chocolate and ice cream :p
I love cooking/baking , I love Italian/Greek cuisine and I'm vegetarian
I love silence, whispering and daydreaming (yes also ASMR)
I love to travel and see the world ever since my Mariia pushed me to take a risk
I'm a Personal Trainer and competitive Powerlifter so I like sports (more doing than speaking about it though)
I love hourlong conversations that make me feel like I know nothing

• arts
• writing
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• vegetarian
• working out
• crossfit
• drinking
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• boxing
• journalism
• personal development
• weight training
• personal growth
• strong coffee
• personal training
• strength training
• barbells

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC
I listen to all kinds of music, from electro to hardcore, from rock to death metal, from hiphop to concerto grosso and old songs from the past...

I grew up in phases. When I was young I listened to what my parents (Italian, 70's-90's) and other childeren listened (childrens music) but when I grew up and my friends influenced me more; I had a hardcore phase, a skater/heavy/nu metal phase, a hiphop phase and when love influenced me I went through an Italian music phase and 60's-70's-80's phase or French, Dutch, Arabic, German, Spanish phase and now Ukrainian/Balkan phase...
So I listen to a broad variety of music because I got influenced by a lot of different people :p

Lately I listen to a song untill it's no longer stuck in my head or I discover a new one...

MOVIES
I watched a lot of movies and I like a lot of movies but a favorite movie ? I don't know.

I think movies did not have the same impact as music on me.

But to make up for it.
I remember the first time I went to a movie. My first movie in a theater was the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie from the 90's. I saw it in this small little theater like the one in Last Action Hero I guess, it was something small and old with one room unlike the commercial cinema's you have today.

TV AND BOOKS
A lot of 90's and early 00's shows...
But I didn't watch "much" television and when I became older I was usually outside with friends or you know like most childeren of my generation we played with another friend of kinda our age The World Wide Web...

I never read a lot of books. I don't know why.
I used to write a lot (poems, lyrics, short stories) and didn't even read them so I don't know.

I did however read books, even more advanced books for school (high school and college) and I noticed I rather read non-fiction and make up for the fiction part with my huge fantasy.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Constantly kicking myself out of my comfort zone to accomplish many great things

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm always interested in learning new things and sharing knowledge, I'm very open and curious so if you want to share or ask me things then be my guest :p

What I Can Share with Hosts

Currently I have not the possibility to offer a place to sleep but I am interested in meeting up if we have a nice conversation before we meet...

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium