To be very clear, we can only host one person, as we are already living with 3 persons in our appartment in Amsterdam (the Netherlands). We are Ed (58), Katja (41) and Ola (28). We have a unique Household.

I, Katja, am the main Couchsurfer of our house.
Eventhough I have been living in Amsterdam for the last 20 years I am still a gypsy at heart. Love wild camping, cycling holidays, gardening, fleamarkets, nature, hiking and dancing. I am currently the head of a personnel department, through which I look after the personal growth of the employees themselves.

And then there is Ed (58). He is currently in a wheelchair but otherwise very easy with people. He is still working very hard to recover from a stroke a had a few years ago, which left him paralysed. But he is extremely positive on living life, eventhough handicapped. Our household has a very positive, light, encouraging atmosphere.
Ed used to be the executive director of a vitamin company, and ran a drug rehab clinic for over 10 years. He has a very good sense of humor, extremely good at chess and always in for a good talk about things that matter.

Our other house-mate, Ola (28), is from Poland. She is fun, good company and has her own business as sleep consultant for babies! She likes salse, crafts and hiking. Will do the full Camino in June/July this year.

We are all very social.

We have a nice, modern and colorful appartment very near the centre of Amsterdam. Have a little balcony which is full of plants in the summer, and we even grow vegetables on it. Our city jungle. We like urban agriculture and in Amsterdam there are a great many crazy initiatives in this respect.

We want foremost English speaking persons though, so as to be able to all three talk with them. But I am sure we will manage to communicate through whatever means.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I (Katja) have hitchhiked a lot in my life and stayed through this in many different houses, so know what a great experience it is and how enriching it can be. Makes a journey very personal as you are part of the daily life in that country. And I must say we have a unique household, which not a lot of people have experienced before.

And we generally enjoy the commotion.

Interests

Plants, people, languages, philosophy, music, modern dance, art, street art, flea markets, recyling.
We are all very much into discovering underground places, pop up creative spots in town (Amsterdam is great for this).
You can have a good laugh here, but there is also a lot of room for who you really are and what you want to get out of in life. We all think that somebody is most happy when he does the things he would like to do in life, stays true to himself and keeps on growing in life.
We offer no shallow "party hard" house.
We are all quite socially involved in society.

• arts
• street art
• dancing
• partying
• gardening
• chess
• music
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• agriculture
• animation
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I love some fat beats and original sound, whether rock, ska, folk, punk or electro. Like Prodigy. Muse, Arcade Fire, Lamb, Florence and the Machine, White lies, Underworld.

Mostly alternative movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ed - did Morocco in part together with two Japanese girls driving around in a wornout Mercedes driven by a gloomy Morrocan. Also, we're very much against drugs (I ran a drugrehabcenter for over ten years - exciting times!)
Katja- just recently completed The Camino de Santiago.

Teach, Learn, Share

We know quite a bit about the alternative and cultural breeding spots in town, which we am sure will inspire you a lot.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can only host one person!!!!!
And for the rest a nice, arty, comfortable, quiet apartment, within a beautiful part of Amsterdam. An excellent couch (literally!).

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, England, Netherlands, Poland, Spain