I love to travel, connect with people, and learn more about our amazing world. I would describe myself as friendly, open-minded and adventurous.

By day I work as a scientist, but in my free time I’m an aspiring polyglot, karaoke queen and mountain hiker. I also enjoy spending time outdoors, dancing, reading, all sports, deep conversations, playing board games and listening to music and podcasts.

I love hosting people and being a tour guide; it makes me feel that I’m a tourist in my own city. And anyhow, I have an empty room in my house, so I might as well fill it with Couchsurfers!

As for when I’m travelling, my favourite moments have always been hanging out with local people, immersing myself in the culture and exploring the cities’ secrets.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like the generous spirit of Couchsurfing and helping to create a global community of slightly crazy people who want to help each other explore the world and share each other’s lives and cultures.

Travelling with Couchsurfing is really special, as it allows us to temporarily become part of the community when we visit somewhere, rather than just being observers.

The opportunity to stay in a stranger’s home and hear their life story is an incredible privilege, as is being able share your own home with somebody and become part of their journey. We can learn something from everybody, and spending time with people from outside our usual circles is an especially good chance to learn something new and question our own beliefs.

In this phase of my life, I cannot travel much as I am focussing on my research, but hosting people enables me to feel that I’m travelling too, and I like to think that I can add some happiness to someone else’s journey. I also want a chance to give back to all the people who have helped me out when I've been overseas (both Couchsurfing hosts and random people who took the time to help me when I ran into problems). Thank you for showing me that there is so much kindness in the world.

And of course… through Couchsurfing you meet all the coolest people!!!

Interests

• singing
• dancing
• live music
• cycling
• hiking
• kayaking
• scuba diving
• sports
• chemistry
• languages
• exploring new places
• cello
• cultural exchange
• making friends
• canyoneering
• nature walks
• swimming in the sea

Music, Movies, and Books

Some favourite books that I’ve read recently: Entangled Life; Bad Samaritans; Invisible Women; Journey to The West

I do not watch many films, but a few that spring to mind are: Three Idiots; Je Ne Suis Pas un Homme Facile; Shaolin Soccer; La Vita e Bella; 8 1/2

I love too much music to list. One of my favourite things about travelling is hearing local music. Please share yours with me :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Probably the most amazing thing I’ve done is going to Northern Cyprus with the intention of staying for a week, but ending up staying for over a year!

Possibly my happiest experience was going to Fusion Festival in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where I discovered what life would be like without capitalism.

My first time travelling without my parents was also pretty crazy: my 15-year-old self and a friend forged our parents’ details on travel documents so that we could take a secret trip to Paris.

Other amazing experiences have been: exploring the underwater world whenever I’ve been SCUBA diving, riding a scooter through the mountains in the Philippines, walking more than 200 km of the Camino de Santiago, staying over night in a Bedouin camp in the Sahara Desert (accessed via camel), and travelling through China without a SIM card.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Belgium, China, Cyprus, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, Philippines, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Cyprus, England, Singapore, Taiwan, Tanzania