Hi, I'm Lawrence/Laurens/Lorenz/Lorenzo/Laurent or whatever the equivalent is in your language.

If I had to describe my outlook on life, I'd call myself a liberal "mixed religious person" (look up George Carlin's skit about Tippie, his favourite dog). I believe that everyone is free to pursue their own happiness and goals, so long as they don't harm others, and this has blessed me with fabulous friends: an 93 year old monk, a synaesthete of Algonquian shamanic descent, an alpha nerd (as in "alpha male"), more than a few quants, a globetrotting family of WooFers, and a surprisingly large number of doctors and nurses (how did that happen?).

It takes a lot to get me stressed. And it takes just a good cup of tea to get me calm again. I bake my own bread and make my own jams. I love to cook, and at least half of the meals I make each week are brand new recipes I try. I do not hesitate to subject visitors to untried recipes, so you've been warned ;)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to welcome people into my home. Not a week goes by without dinner guests, and not a couple of months without a (usually board game) party. I've have had some great experiences hosting and surfing, both through CouchSurfing and various other channels (Warm Showers; friends, relatives and acquaintances). Having hosted some fantastic people, and surfed some comfy couches, I can only be extremely positive: CouchSurfing rocks!

Interests

My dream is to cycle the Panamerican Highway (Alaska-Patagonia) one day.
I'm a bit of a crazy scientist (read: geek)... from time to time an intriguing geometry/math/physics puzzle can keep me up at night :-P

• dancing
• board games
• hiking
• astronomy
• ecology
• geography
• mathematics
• playing badminton
• vegetarian cooking
• cycling,
• dungeons & dragons

Music, Movies, and Books

Books:
- Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
- The Five People you Meet in Heaven (Mitch Albom)
- Hoe God verdween uit Jorwerd (Geert Mak)
- De eeuw van mijn vader (Geert Mak)
- Design Patterns (Gamma, Helm, Johnson & Vlissides)
- Der Steppenwolf (Hermann Hesse)
- Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
- A new kind of science (Stephen Wolfram)

Films:
- Forest Gump
- Highlander
- Des hommes et des Dieux
- Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain
- Cloud Atlas
- Alles is Liefde

Music:
- Blöf
- Florent Pagny
- Alan Parson's Project
- Tom Lewis
- Jesse Cook
- Kari Bremnes
- Skatalites
- Decemberists
- Trolska Polska
- Dota Kehr

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

(why just one?)
10,000 kilometres of long distance cycling in my life (e.g. http://tmt.li/t627L).
Science outreach to 5000+ kids of the course of 3 years in British Columbia.
Volunteering in the Whistler Olympic Village.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm an English as a Foreign Language teacher.
I'm a decent cook, and have quite a few delicious recipes to share.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Food. Food is good. Food is delicious. I love preparing good food :).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands

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