A LITTLE OVERVIEW OF MY LIFE
I grew up in a large household (I am the 2nd of 5 kids!) mostly in the suburbs of Amsterdam and Utrecht, in the Netherlands. Utrecht is the city which I view as my home and to which I keep returning time and again.
After finishing secondary school, I took a gap year (2017-18) in which I did some volunteering (via WorkAway) in Italy, France, the UK, and India. It was in India that I was first introduced to Couch Surfing by an amazing guy from the Philippines, who had travelled from the east to the west of the country using this platform.
After this gap year, I had the amazing opportunity to study at the University of Oxford (UK). Here (2018-22), I completed my bachelor's in Classics, i.e. Latin and Ancient Greek language and Literature. Back in the Netherlands, I completed two Master's degrees at once, at Leiden University, one in Classics and one in Moral and Political Philosophy. I graduated in the summer of 2024.
During the final months of my studies, I started learning Spanish by watching YouTube videos, as well as meeting up with native speakers in Utrecht (NL), where I was living at the time. In a few months, I managed to progress from no Spanish at all to being able to have conversations about whatever topic. In September 2024, I left for Mexico. From here, I travelled through Central America, all the way to Colombia. I ended up spending 9,5 months in Latin America, twice spending a few months in one place with a local I met. This allowed me to practice my Spanish on the streets. I am still practising my Spanish every day as I am getting close to fluency.

ASPIRATIONS FOR THE FUTURE
My dream is to make ends meet by writing novels. I have almost finished writing something I have been working on for years. I hope to be able to get it published soon!
Currently, I am learning Portuguese in preparation for a trip I hope to make to Brazil soon.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am planning to visit South America soon, starting in Argentina and working my way up to Brazil.
When I was 19, I went on a backpacking trip in the northwest of India, where I met some amazing people via Couch Surfing, not only hosts but also people whom I met for a "meetup" and who were kind enough to show me around town. Hanging out with locals is the thing I enjoyed most about this trip. Sure, monuments and mountains look nice, but I can see those in pictures, whereas nothing can substitute sharing time, chats and food with people who can give me a local's insight into their culture and society. In 2024-25, I spend a lot of time in the house of locals in both Mexico and Costa Rica, where I had a similar experience. I hope to again have the opportunity to share time, chats and food again with people in their home setting whilst travelling in South America!

Interests

For now, my principal hobbies are learning languages. I keep investing effort into improving my Spanish and I have recently started learning Portuguese (which is going very well).

I love to cook and exchange recipes with hosts and surfers and learn about the cuisines of different cultures.

I like to read and write a lot

I am (less while travelling ;) ) a health-conscious person and like to do sports. When I was younger, I did a lot of running (I did 3 half marathons when I was 16 and 17 years old). Before going on this trip, I hit the gym a lot to "practice vanity" (as I like to say). Additionally, I sometimes go indoor bouldering. I am open to any kind of sports activities!

During my studies, I devoted most time to analysing Latin poetry. I am especially interested in the metapoetic aspect of Latin poetry (i.e. poetry self-consciously reflecting on what poetry is and should be) as well as its political and philosophical aspects. I can talk about the poet Vergilius for hours (but, don't worry, I won't bore you with this ;) )

• culture
• literature
• cooking
• traveling
• bouldering
• sports
• history
• language
• gym
• spanish
• culture exchange
• philosphy
• history,

Music, Movies, and Books

The most life-changing book I have ever read is Alexander Nehamas' "Nietzsche: Life as Literature". This book is a comprehensive interpretation of the existentialist aspect of Nietzsche's philosophy and can be seen as a guide to embracing each and every aspect of yourself and your life.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Backpacking solo and staying with locals
- Studying in a foreign country
- Getting my arse kicked in a ring fight (boxing) in front of an audience of 1000 people

Teach, Learn, Share

I am not interested in hookups... Please respect the spirit of CS.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversation, good food

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Italy, Jersey, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United Kingdom