CURRENT MISSION

It used to be:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

Currently, I find myself tied up in a lot of grown up stuff, which means I'm getting less time to travel. I've been doing couchsurfing a lot less than before. My mission however has never changed! The world is far to big and fascinating to forget about it! :)

ABOUT ME

I'd like to think of myself as a very curious "interested-in-everything" positive mind who likes to laugh, read, tell and listen to stories.

Exploring, learning and challenging myself to new types of thinking, without abandoning the touch of reality, is my cup of tea. Therefore I'm a lover of the world in all it's diversity (Nature, history, languages, arts, cultures) and want to live the life of travelling, hosting, meeting new peoples and ideas...for as long as I like it:
7 billion people = 7 billion ideas and views.

I have the burden of having way to much energy, which I manage to lose *sigh of relievement* in a passion for outdoor sports. I keep my balance with a lot of reading and yoga. When it gets cold, sauna and bathing.

I try to live by big words in simple applications on a daily basis in my simple life: Solidarity, durability, responsibility, unbiasedness, respect,...

"Never really settling somewhere" my friends described me as a nomad or wanderer for a long time. Now it seems I have settled down in Utrecht, the Netherlands, at least for a bit.

PHILOSOPHY

Never forget where you come from, to change with the changing world, to live in the moment, that the nicer you are to people, the nicer they are to you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I simply couch, and like to return the favor by hosting.. Most of the hosting is done by the account of my girlfriend Karen (check the friendslist) and we have been a bit quiet for some time. Well, life happened. Lots of changes, work, renovating the house,... bla bla bla, I know, all excuses, but take my word, we're picking it up soon!

I love meeting people, there is no sense in visiting a country and understanding a culture without meeting locals! When hosting, it feels a bit like vacation @ home.

Interests

Meeting people (Hi!),
Food, (the better, the better :D)
Movies (all kinds of: the more, the less mainstream, the better),
Music (I go singing and dancing -sorry neighbours- through life; love all kinds, but like alternative music more)
Drawing, painting, sculpturing, messing around with wood
Loving outdoorsports (climbing, trailrunning, survivalrunning, mountainbiking, slacklining, trekking...Name it, and I probably do it :)))
Reading(loads of books),
Travelling and meeting new people (ofcourse)
Helping the needing
Hanging out with friends!
Nature in all it's forms
...and once in a while a (Belgian) beer ofcourse

• arts
• culture
• books
• singing
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• vegetarian
• yoga
• drinking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• painting
• drawing
• woodworking
• music
• alternative music
• outdoor activities
• scuba diving
• buddhist
• sports
• rock climbing
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

All kinds of, mostly not the mainstream type...depending on the mood.

To walk around in the city, to work on the pc, and read a book, I like instrumental hiphop, triphop, soul, jazz (kid koala, the cinematic orchestra, blockhead, rjd2, dj shadow, dj Krush, Massive attack, bonobo, the herbaliser, portishead, chat faker, charles bradley, fat freddy's drop...)

To listen in the sofa, in the train in the morning or to go to concerts, I like indie singer/songwriters and intelligent music (to many to account for, lately I tend to enjoy The Antlers, Paolo Nuttini, Oscar and the wolf, Balthazar, Ibrahim Maalouf, Mumfords and Sons, Glen Hansard, Shugo Tokamaru )

I drive with oldies, classics, blues, and new bluegrass.
I sometimes go crazy with DnB and Goa (although not much anymore...I'm getting old)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I jumped from planes, climbed on rocks, went diving with all sorts of crazy animals, travelled around, stayed for weeks in the woods, bla, bla, bla, bla (I could make a very long list here, but that feels a bit like bragging)...

...But only seeing joy in the eyes of people, and being part of that, is truly amazing!

(and I'm not very sorry if this sounds awfully cheesy and lame, because sometimes, being cheesy and lame is just who I need to be)

Teach, Learn, Share

Teaching:
Languages: Dutch (Flemish), French,...
(Western-) European culture, food and history (I can tell you tales and legends about kings, knights, ladies, and there escapades. How futile things from distant past lead to funfacts and strange manners today) --> dont worry, only for people who like that.
Regional Beers (yes, with the big B) in all their kinds and forms
Some inutile but fun stuff like: handstand, slacklining, the right order to enjoy a sauna, breaking bricks with bare hands, old school breakdance moves :D
Some handy tricks to advance in life:
How to bring down a big tree with a chainsaw, making furniture from pallets, catching fish with bare hands, making fire from scratch, how to plaster, to tile a bathroom and kitchen,, growing vegetables on a small balcony, and many more things that make life that much more interesting.

I like to learn more about:
Cooking vegetarian and vegan, Buddhism and Taoism, Yoga, nice places to travel to, climbing and diving spots, sculpturing and woodworking, interesting new possible paths to follow in life

Sharing:
food, drinks, jokes, music, movies and nice evenings

What I Can Share with Hosts

1) Stories and jokes
2) Food and drinks (not necesarily in that order)
3) Music
4) Joy and happiness
5) A great experience

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Netherlands

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