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I am recovering from an illness and will unfortunately be unable to host people for a little while.

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Where to begin?

Physically I'm a tall thin guy: About 75kg and 1.93meters tall. Woah!

I studied languages and latin in high school and then went to art school university in the finest city in Belgium: Ghent! I learned a lot here, developed and nourished a passion for drawing and art in general, learned all about graphic design and webdesign and tried my hand at illustration. I also tried my hand at a teachers degree but in the end I didn't go through with it.

I really felt the need to do some traveling and learn about the world. I went to visit a friend in the US (Pennsylvania) back in 2007 for three weeks and I emerged entirely motivated, refreshed, creatively inspired… and a different, more complete person alltogether. This has taught me the importance of traveling. I feel like staying with actual residents is far more of a true, intense travel experience. This has also been confirmed by the many couchsurfers I have spoken to over the years.

So here I am trying to explore some more of the world whenever I can :)

PHILOSOPHY

I believe people should have the liberty and freedom to do what they want (as long as it's not affecting other people negatively). Personally I feel like we only have one life and that it's important for us to try the things we want to try regardless of whether or not it's "economic" or valuable moneywise. I believe it's important to be true to yourself and not get too attached to the material things in life. Not that there's anything wrong with them, but you get the idea :)

All in all I think it's important to keep an open mind and not to be afraid to question certain set values and "normal" choices in life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've had some really good experiences discussing life in back yards in Washington DC, walking all over Toronto with my Canadian host and an Australian CS'er, and being taken to a free yoga class in Berkeley, CA for the first time (tiring stuff!). I want more of these unforgettable moments, and maybe even provide some as well.

Interests

Drawing, art and graphic/web design, playing guitar, feminism and queer identities/politics, vegetarianism/veganism, videogames, movies and series, being a nerd, the DIY mindset, listening to a lot of music, comics/graphic novels/zines, making stuff, ... recently have taken more of an interest in working out and nutrition as well!

• cats
• arts
• design
• graphic design
• illustrations
• diy
• womens rights
• cooking
• beer
• vegan
• yoga
• walking
• drinking
• politics
• comics
• movies
• traveling
• drawing
• music
• guitar
• cycling
• skateboarding
• languages
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Here's a small idea of what I listen to:
Baths, Björk, Caribou, Elliott Smith, Suede, The Smiths, The Knife, David Bowie, Tycho, Nine Inch Nails, The National, Animal Collective, Girls, Patti Smith, Belle and Sebastian, Rilo Kiley, Fever Ray, The Mountain Goats, The Cure, … and many many more.

A few movies:
There Will Be Blood, Before Sunrise, 500 Days of Summer, Shaun of the Dead, Pan's Labyrinth, Donnie Darko, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Earth and Ashes, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, The Room (best worst movie everrrrrr), …

A few books and comics:
The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Dark Tower Series, The Brothers Karamazov, Ender's Game, the Scott Pilgrim comics, Wuvable Oaf, …

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Staying awake to see the sunrise one evening in Virginia while talking about life and the meaning of making creative work. Nights on a rooftop in Ghent. Visiting the Grand Canyon at dawn and exploring White Sands. Biking through San Francisco past Golden Gate park to the sea. Sitting in front of the Lincoln Memorial. A 25 hour train ride on my own from Chicago to Albuquerque. Driving with a friend through California exploring the mountains and the sea. Spending Christmas in the warm sun outside a café on Valencia ST. in SF with strangers who became friends for the day. Roaming around Berlin. Meeting a cat in a café in Moscow. Sitting by the riverside in Prague drinking a beer. So many things. I can't choose one.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm mostly into graphic arts and I've been trying my hand at playing guitar recently. I really wish I were a better cook, I'd love to learn how to skateboard too… never got around to it. At the moment I'm spending most of my energy on drawing and learning new languages (Spanish!) at a very leisurely pace.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a pretty shitty cook but I can teach you a vegan dish or two. I can tell you the best places to grab a beer or a bite in Ghent. I can tell you all about how you take care of bunnies and which plants are easiest to keep at home. I can teach you some dumb words in dutch. Great bits of knowledge, no?

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium

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