European who grew up in Aruba. Basically, I have a dutch passport that allowed me to move to the Netherlands to study quite easily and relatively hassle free. First, Eindhoven (which is when I joined CS.org in 2012) and the finally Rotterdam for the past 3 years. Despite being a continental shift it got really comfortable really fast. The Dutch have everything so nicely organized I lost a bit of the island adventure. I play tennis since I was 4. I read fantasy novels and recently started non-fiction. It feels like im growing up. On the side of that I've hosted and introduced many internationals to the city of Rotterdam through the ESN student network. I taught international students coming to holland how to ride bike, eat dutch, cook dutch, dance dutch and many other cultural exchange activities (a few many parties too). Now I want to move out of my city and visit others and feel what it is to be clueless in a city.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Lived my whole life on the island of Aruba, moved to Netherlands a couple of years ago to study. Never left my comfort zone of the dutch cities : Eindhoven, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht. Got to know only the streets and the nearest supermarket. Plan to change this by exploring the country sides ( when it's not winter) and traveling more around Europe. Got tired of liking my friend's facebook photos with cool locations and cool stories about backpacking and meeting new people. Want to do it myself now, end of year plan - if i do it before 2016 ill be ready for 2017+!

Interests

• writing
• cooking
• coffee
• reading
• eating out
• coding
• martial arts
• tennis
• volunteering
• coffee shops
• drinking coffee
• beach tennis
• caribbean cooking

Music, Movies, and Books

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7311192-dijon

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Flown in a helicopter over an active volcano in the Caribbean. Never felt so scary in my life. When you are in a moving object that reacts to every single bit of motion, both internally and externally, you feel terrifyingly alive. Not sure about the statistics but the pilot was young and I didn't see any old veterans around. It shaked me to the core and was my first time forced to relax and trust a total stranger with my life. That typical teambuilding exercise where you let a person catch you while you find behind. Just in another context, with the same result. Just not a friend, a total stranger with a hat. Back then i didnt understand what regulations and the pilot industry experience of ranking up flight hours before dangerous bouts. My naivety let me have raw surprising moment. It's one of many amazing things I hope to do in the coming years. And have that same first thing that pops to mind reaction to a "one amazing thing i've done" prompt. Hopefully i get a new automatic reaction with each trip. Always growing in retrospect in the future.

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach coding to university students. Learning how to be a better chef and not procrastinating. Finish various projects I started in bachelor studies. Sharing food mostly with friends when i visit, enter their kitchen and spontaneously cook something.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cook. Conversation. A walk. Local language. Caribbean tips and tricks.

Countries I’ve Visited

Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Jamaica, Montserrat, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Aruba, Netherlands