CURRENT MISSION

I finished my Master degree in January last year and engaged in an internship with a German development agency in Accra, Ghana. Returning to Europe the day Trump was elected as president was truly a tough awakening. In November, I spent a month in Berlin looking for a longer term employment, which I still haven't found yet. So my most urgent mission is probably to find a decent occupation in order to finance more travels. ▶️ Update: found a job, got my own flat and now also a lucky owner of a couch to host you 🤗

ABOUT ME

Hi folks! My name is Samuel. I come from a 2000 people village in the Black Forest which is a low mountain range in the south-western Germany (home of the cuckoo clock and the cherry cake - seems we like things starting with c here). I used to live and study in Tübingen for six years, with a short-term abroad in Surfers Paradise, Australia in 2011. After I finished high school, I already went there for my first big trip which was a 9-months working holiday adventure in 2008/09. I managed to get pretty much all around the red continent. During my trip, I worked 2 months at a petrol station in the rough Outback of WA (famously named Billabong Roadhouse) and bought a car in Perth, before driving to Adelaide, Alice Springs, up to Cairns and then finally down the fun-packed east coast to Melbourne.
Once I had time (and I'm quite good in arranging that) I went on a journey each semester break, so I consider myself lucky to have visited quite a range of countries and continents so far.

My hobbies are watching good movies (e.g. by Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson), cooking & drinking, playing basketball and card games, hiking and diving and of course: discover new music (including concerts & festivals).

PHILOSOPHY

Travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer. (ok, this might be quoted quite often but it is true)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

During my school exchange to NZ and my journey around Australia, I became aware of the openhearted contact from resident people who showed foreign people like me their vicinity and their way of life. I believe that going to a country/ city is not only about seeing famous buildings and places, but also about getting in touch with people who call this place their home in order to grasp the charisma and vivacity of what would otherwise just be a bunch of concrete.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

First time I stayed with someone was in Melbourne: really cool people but the weather was too cold to do a lot outside. Plus, I was busy selling my car
The second time was in Reykjavik, Iceland: great stay, awesome family and an intense game of risk :)

Interests

listening and discovering new music, and if there is a good gig around, you will find me there;
playing poker and skat (interesting German Card Game for 3 persons);
cooking and eating, especially Italien and South-east Asian;
adventure time: hiking and diving;
meeting my friends, have a BBQ or go to the local swimming pool (or if there is one, the beach);
collecting coins and stamps (became less, but it's something interesting for the bad-weather-days)

• photography
• dining
• cooking
• bbq
• drinking
• movies
• traveling
• stamps
• poker
• music
• hiking
• scuba diving
• sailing
• basketball
• american football
• astronomy
• history
• nature
• football
• boardgames

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Inglorious Bastards, Pulp Fiction, Domino, Kill Bill, 21 Gramm, Lucky Number Sleven, Fear and Loathing in LV, The Boondock Saints, Into the wild, Lock Stock and two smoking barrels, Up, Adam's apples, Berlin Calling, Night on Earth, The Fountain, Moonrise Kingdom and in honorable mention: Kung Fury (watch it!)

Music: alternative, electronic/minimal/techno, folk, post-rock, chillwave, and sometimes hip hop
Favourite Bands atm: Nicola Cruz, Marek Hemmann, Grimes, Lord Huron, Mr Little Jeans, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Oceanvs Orientalis

if you want to know more take a look at my last.fm profile
http://www.lastfm.de/user/ElSamuNegro
Insta: samuelnicos

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Sailing trip in the Whitsundays and 5-day liveaboard diving course in Cairns

...and of course climbing Mt Karisimbi (4507m) in one day o.O

Teach, Learn, Share

I have a quite big knowledge of a range of movies and bands and people often tell me I'm reliable in recommending things based on things they like. And of course, I can tell you everything I know (and you want to know) about the countries I have been to.
I have good knowledge of European history and the process of integration. Also, I'm keen on assisting in cooking or wherever a helping hand is needed.
I also like sailing and kayaking but I haven't had the chance to do it as often as I would have liked to. Generally, I would say that I am highly curious and eager to try out a lot of things before passing a judgment.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, England, Fiji, France, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Luxembourg, Macao, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palau, Philippines, Portugal, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Germany, Ghana, New Zealand