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Overview
About Me
CURRENT MISSION
Enjoy life one day at a time while exploring as many places as possible in one year time!
ABOUT ME
I'm a 27-year-old medical student from the Netherlands. I grew up all over the world, as my father's job took me to Australia, France and Italy starting at the age of 7. After this, I moved to Los Angeles to study for a year. I couldn't find my place there either, so I decided to go back to my "home country" to start medical school.
I have been wanting to be a doctor since I was 12 years olds and done everything I could to get me into medical school. I loved volunteering with the red cross and taking CPR courses, as crazy as that last thing might sound. I am very passionate about medicine and intend to learn everything I can about neurosurgery (the field I want to work in) before I start practicing myself. On that path, I hope to also learn about the people around me and the way medicine is practiced in other countries in order to stay open-minded and always treat my patients to the best of my ability. In my opinion, being an interested and warm person is at least half of being a good physician.
I have seen most of the world... Or so my parents tell me. Unfortunately, there are so many places I do not remember seeing because I was too young and now I am planning to revisit all of them!
I absolutely love cooking. I am a fruit and vegetable addict and my roommate from Iran has inspired me to use garlic and curry powder in almost any dish I cook. And, if my recipes don't turn out so good, I will add some delicious Ketjap Benteng Manis (Indonesian) to my food. I prefer oriental cuisine over European cuisine, but I do have a soft spot for French and Italian deserts (and croissants!).
PHILOSOPHY
I want to live life one day at a time and enjoy all the things that come to me. I try to be open-minded and kind to everyone I meet, I find that they usually return the love. So: smile at the world and people will smile back at you :)
Why I’m on Couchsurfing
HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
I have in the past offered a place to stay for people in Delft and in Leiden.
I am currently getting busy organizing events in the area.
Recently we had a great CS dinner, which inspired me to meet up with CSers more often as they are a great group of people!
COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
I have had a great time hosting a couple of people and surfing in New Zealand. I have met CSers in Brisbane, Saigon, Leiden, Delft and Los Angeles.
I am now getting involved by organizing events in Delft to meet new CSers here!
Interests
Languages, cultures, medicine, beach walks with my dog, making sculptures out of "mergel" (similar to sandstone), wearing my bright-colored rainboots, long walks in forests, laughing until I pee myself, having fun with children, animals, beautiful parts of nature that have been left undisturbed.
- animals
- dogs
- culture
- beauty
- dining
- cooking
- recipes
- vegetarian
- traveling
- painting
- surfing
- languages
- medicine
- volunteering
- beaches
Music, Movies, and Books
I read way too little besides the books I get assigned in medical school.
Books I have loved in the past: The Lovely Bones, Never Let Me Go, Animal Farm, Third Culture Kids (my bible), Lucky, Jip & Janneke
Movies: Blood Diamond, Girl, Interrupted, Zwartboek, Terug Naar de Kust
Music: A Fine Frenzy, Adele, Sara Bareilles, Sara Haze, Paramore, Missy Higgins
One Amazing Thing I’ve Done
Spent 6 weeks traveling around Australia, visiting old towns and abandoned villages simply to enjoy the beauty of the Red Center.
I had a 9-month travel around the world where I went to New Zealand, Australia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. There were beautiful and amazing moments in each country and I enjoyed every day I had there.
Teach, Learn, Share
Teach: one of my languages (French, Dutch, English, Italian, Spanish), painting, how to bump and bruise yourself 10 times a day.
Learn: any language I have never studied before, about who you really are, respectful ways of interacting in different cultures, to let loose and be a bit more carefree.
Share: the experience of growing up as a Third Culture Kid, my humor, conversations on life philosophies, anything else I'm capable of.
Countries I’ve Visited
Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Luxembourg, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City State
Countries I’ve Lived In
Australia, France, Italy, Netherlands, United States