At the moment I am not active hosting or couchsurfing myself.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Officially* I have surfed three times now. The first time was with Pare/Swahili people in Tanzania. I stayed for a couple of weeks and got to know a lot of friendly people in the little village. I am very grateful for this experience. My second surfing experience was with a really nice couple in Sydney, which I will go back to very soon to celebrate New Years Eve together. Can't wait! And last but not least I have surfed twice at an amazing home in Australia's Blue Mountains. The location and view were both awesome, the house very cozy, the vibe very relaxing and the people so inspiring! 

As far as hosting goes I have only hosted once so far: a young man from San Francisco. I hope to be able to host more people in future, because I think this CS exchange is just a great opportunity, if done right a true win-win.

* I have more experience staying with people I meet during my travels, not through the CS network, but by meeting people elsewhere online or in real life. I have for instance stayed with a great Somali family for about a month. I met one of the family members on the streets of Mombasa, Kenya. And at the end of my stay they considered me part of their family too. 

Interests

Music, dancing, singing, nature walks, swimming, diving, sauna, watching movies and docu's, and of course... travelling!

I am always trying to develop myself by doing courses and reading books. I enjoy learning from other people and sharing stories.

• arts
• books
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• running
• meditation
• sauna
• crafts
• clothing
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• magic
• music
• camping
• surfing
• scuba diving
• bungee jumping
• skydiving
• swimming
• au-pair
• wwoof
• rivers
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

As I am writing this, the most recent book I have finished is The four agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz; the most recent film I watched is La belle verte and documentary A farm for the future. They were all brought to me by CS hosts. And I am currently listening to Tchaikovsky ...not by choice, but i have to admit it is relaxing me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have gone skydiving when I was sixteen, which felt really amazing at the time. It taught me it is safe to let go. But I am still a control freak though... I've done some rafting at wild rivers and quad riding in the desert. And I also went bungee jumping from the highest jumping spot in the world. All these things were really fun to do, but they were not as amazing as experiencing things that help me grow as a person. The most recent thing I've done that I have found to be very meaningful was to sit on a cushion for one hundred hours. During this ten day meditation course I have experienced grieve, anger, pain, acceptance, joy, stillness and peace. It raised my awareness a little bit, and that is what I truly consider amazing. 

Teach, Learn, Share

Travel light. (Not my strong suit).

And having a credit card will make travelling more comfortable. (I do not own one and manage OK, so it is possible, just not very handy).

Also check out the WWOOF'ing network and something which I still have yet to experience but have heard great things about is WorkAway. 

What I Can Share with Hosts

Well I love to share stories and experiences to inspire and facilitate one another in being/becoming the best version of ourselves!

And on a more practical level:

If your house / office etc. needs some organizing, just show me the room and allow me to do my magic. I like to clean and create order in the house. Whether it is putting your CDs and books in a special order, rearranging your kitchen cabinets or folding/sorting your clothes/closet, I am your (wo)man. Just leave me in there with some music, and let me make us both happy. 

I have been an au pair (a nanny) for three families and have babysat a lot of (Dutch, African, American and Irish) children. So if you have kids and you feel comfortable with me watching over them, I could give you some time off while we play games, do arts and crafts or go to the park.

Now, one thing I cannot do that well (yet) is cook. I am working on it. And as I said I can clean, so please leave the dishes for me. I don't mind doing them. And I could also run errands like doing groceries etc. Dont hesitate to ask, I am glad to be of help. 

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, United States