On the road I'm a traveler, backpacker, hitchhiker, CouchSurfer and - first of all - an adventurer. Back home in Dresden, Eastern Germany, I worked in an Antiquariat (old book shop), am a book reader, casual writer, movie-watcher and used to be a hobby party organizer - and an enthusiastic CouchSurfing host, of course! In 2011, I was an EVS volunteer (and still CouchSurfing host) in the beautiful city of Varna, Bulgaria, directly at the Black Sea. I did my B.A. in European Studies at the Chemnitz Technical University and my M.A. in Regensburg. I also did an internship at the European Parliament and worked as a tutor for Central and Eastern European Studies at university. Right now, I am doing my PhD in Political Science at the University of Tartu, Estonia.

I like Czech beer, Russian wodka, US American comics, German and Russian literature, British Drum'n'Bass music and other cool things from all around the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I hosted and helped CouchSurfers from different countries and continents (Argentinia, Australia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iran, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA) traveling around in Europe.

I already surfed couches in Albania, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Uraine and United Kingdom; I slept at friends' places that are also at CouchSurfing in Germany and Slovakia; and finally, I met quite a lot of CouchSurfers in Bulgaria and Romania, too. It has always been a great time!

Oh, and I even found hitchhiking buddies on CouchSurfing, e.g. Ali in Georgia for the trip Batumi, Georgia -> Ankara, Turkey (I was going back to Varna, Bulgaria).

And I participate by introducing more and more of my friends to the great CouchSurfing community. Our "brotherhood" captured CS successfully! ;-) They really like it.

The people I met while couchsurfing around in whole Europe are very interesting characters. I had a lot of fun and thoughtful talks in cities where I didn't know anybody before. I discovered places I wouldn't have found on my own and enjoyed nightlife and parties in different countries. I always loved traveling around, but now I like it even more - and I really enjoy having travellers from different countries around at home. So CouchSurfing influenced my life in a very positive way. In more than SIX years hosting and surfing around I've never had a negative experience with CS.

Perhaps, I'm just lucky. But I think, if you trust and care about your own senses and feelings, nearly nothing can go wrong with CS (similar to hitchhiking).

Interests

♥ ♥ ♥ !!!HITCHHIKING!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

Traveling (thumb, tent and couches:-)
Reading & Writing
Music
Photography
Movies & Cinema
Computers
History & Politics

• writing
• books
• literature
• photography
• beer
• politics
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• backpacking
• adventure races
• history
• hitchhiking
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

As hitchhiker and Balkan traveler (even "inhabitant" back in 2011), "Im Juli" (In July) by Fatih Akin is my favorite German road movie! I like sophisticated comedy, thrilling action movies, innovative fantasy/sci-fi and emotional dramas (but no soap-operas or stuff like that). I always prefer independent movies, I'm a huge Quentin Tarantino fan. And I've got no problem with unhappy endings. I like them. Is it bad? I don't know.

A "small" selection of movies and TV shows: Wall-E, The Simpsons, South Park, Invador Zim, Scrubs, Stromberg, Family Guy, Drawn Together, My Name is Earl, Quentin Tarantino movies (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs,...), Frank Miller film adaptions (300, Sin City), V For Vendetta, Crank, Herr Lehmann, The Boondock Saints, Being John Malkovich, Donny Darko, Big Fish, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Desperados, Shaun of the Dead, Magnolia, Pi, Matrix, Babylon 5, Star Trek, House of Cards, West Wing, Borgen, Game of Thrones,... I especially listen to Drum'n'Bass, but also to other electronic music (Dubstep, Electro,...), Jazz, Rock, Rap,... - it always depends on the mood. But generally I like listening to nearly everything which is made with creativity - so nearly nothing at the German radio stations... I also like good soundtracks which remind me of good movies I've seen (e.g. Pulp Fiction, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Pi, Herr Lehmann, Prayers for Bobby, Summer Storm/Sommersturm...).

I love to listen to electronic or jazz music made by friends and local artists.

I enjoy interesting, fascinating or exciting stories from all around the world. My favorite writer is Stephen King, my favorite book "Illuminatus" from Robert A. Wilson and Robert Shaw.

A very small selection of other writers I enjoyed: Morton Rhue a.k.a. Todd Strasser ("The Wave"), J.R.R. Tolkien ("The Lord of the Rings"), Agatha Christie ("Murder on the Orient Express"), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ("Sherlock Holmes"), The Strugatzki Brothers ("The Doomed City"), Georges Joseph Christian Simenon ("Maigret"), Patricia Highsmith ("Tom Ripley"), Ken Grimwood ("Replay"), Tom Robbins ("Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates"), George Orwell ("1984")... I also like books about history and politics. As I already mentioned somewhere, I used to work in an old book shop... ;-)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

My hitchhiking and CouchSurfing trips are always full of amazing people and experiences!

Some examples:
-hitchhiking with a priest into & a murderer back from Sweden
-discovering a mine field near Priština (Kosovo)
-hitchhiking with a very nice Mercedes old-timer that was borrowed just for a wedding (Albania)
-funny policemen stopping cars for me (Albania)
-not noticing an earthquake because we were in a bar (Albania)
-scratching the guardrail with a van (Poland) (no, I was NOT driving, just hitchhiking!)
-having a free coffee in the chair of the chief of a recycling company after a whole night on the road (Poland)
-sleeping in the forest without anything (Czech Republic)
-getting an offer to sleep in a police station (Montenegro)
-sleeping between hay in a barn (Montenegro)
-sleeping in the back of a truck, the REAL back (Turkey)
-getting invited into a mosque during the prayer (Turkey)
-getting food, bus ticket, money and hotel room for free (Turkey)
-getting offers for some white powder by various drivers (Balkans)
-riding horse (and drinking ayran) in Mongolia
-sleeping between locals at Tehran bus station and El Göli park, Tabriz (Iran)

Sorry, but ONE thing alone is not enough! :o)

Teach, Learn, Share

Some thoughts about life, some groovy travel stories including urban surviving strategies... - a little bit of everything!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany

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