ABOUT ME

I'm a Turco-German who enjoys talking and listening to all sorts of people - sometimes the former dominates the latter but I always try to find a balance. What I learned so far, encounters of any kind can enrich your experience and knowledge in one way or the other, which you can share in turn with others - and this is how the personality and character is shaped, by interaction. In my opinion, this constitutes a valubale and rich network of knowledge and experience. I say: Let's put it to good use!
What more, I've got a good sense of humour, sometimes sarcastic, even cynical, however, I usually know which lines shouldn't be crossed. Again, balance is everything.
I love international communities; I feel like a true cosmopolitan in this sense. Most enjoyable were my times abroad where I spent time with people from all over the world. Consequently, I again ended up living and working abroad: this time in Egypt. I explore the local, international and expat communities and have been amazed over and over again. This again just confirms how lucky one is, if able to embrace people from all different social and cultural backgrounds. For sure this affinity for internationality will further shape my path. I simply cannot think of being stuck in a monocultural, uniform, or worse still, xenophobic environment... there are too many places and minds still trapped in this fallacy.

PHILOSOPHY

Tryin not to loose your mind in this crazy world is a full-time job. Hence, never get unemployed or retired in this respect and embrace sanity wherever you find it!
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Makin the world a place worth living for everyone - independent of where or when! (my very personal definition of sustainability, my life passion)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I had some really nice CS experiences as a guest and now the time has come to host some random individuals from all over the world. For me hosting is an essential part of the CS concept. Meeting this travelling individuals and sharing our stories is, I believe, most enriching... So, be (literally) my guest!
Of course, occasionally I will do it the other way round again since so far it was increadible experiences all the way - highly addictive this stuff!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Surfing, hosting & meeting... all were amazing!

Interests

Eagerly exchanging & resolutely shuttin-up, movin constantly & freezin passionately, gettin wasted big time & enjoyin full clarity, indulging extremely & dining fresh and healthy, engaging closely & not caring at all ... life is full of contradictions. I can't exclude myself from this fact, even though I am usually very conscious about the bads and the goods in the choices I make. However, in sum I try to stay on the bright side of life... surrendering to the dark force is usually not my style, even though the temptation gets hold of me every once in a while!

• environment
• dining
• cooking
• traveling
• surfing
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: All kinds of, as long as it is just good quality, passionate piece of work. This excludes most of the generic cheap popular sounds poisoning the hearing of generations. My favourite sounds though are electro beats for partying and children of the rock/pop genre, that is Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Muse, Placebo, Bloc Party, The Verve, Radiohead,... the only Heavy Metal Band I'm crazy about is System of a Down, these are one of my favourite ones though!

Movies: Goodness, I couldn't even properly fill my Top 10 because there are just too much really excellent masterpieces.
Let me try to list some:
Pulp Fiction, Braveheart, Leaving Las Vegas, Leon the Professional, Fight Club, The Big Lebowsky, Fargo, Signs, Vanilla Sky, The Island, Austin Powers, American Gangster, Sixth Sense, Casino, High Fidelity, Crazy Heart, The Shawshank Redemption, Memento, Kill Bill, Apocalyptico, Platoon, Into the Wild, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Die Hard, Devil's Advocate, Snatch, The Bourne Identity, As Good As It Gets, Godfellas, Cop Land, Heat, Trainspotting, Blow, Inception, Gladiator, 12 Monkeys, The Game, Ali, Matrix, Buffalo Soldiers, Gangs of New York, Oceans 11, The Dark Knight, Cast Away, X-Men, Whatever Works, The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Catch Me If You Can, German ones: Gegen die Wand, Bang Boom Bang, Das Leben der Anderen, Kebab Connection, Soul Kitchen, Good Bye Lenin,... this list is by no means exhaustive, it goes on and on and on. Anyway, most of those movies also incorporate my favourite actors (and directors as well) and almost every movie they play in adds the list of 1000 movies you gotta watch before you die. I'm quite a cineast as you can tell. Besides there are also some friggin good TV series, beyond all Friends. But also Grey's Anatomy and House,M.D. have lately entertained me very much.
What I shouldn't miss to mention is that I'm a big fan of eyeopening documentaries, to name a few favorites: The Light Bulb Conspiracy, The Corporation, The Smartest Guys In The Room, Home, Let's Make Money, Food,inc., Earthlings (deeply disturbing!But soooo cruely true), The War You Don't See, The Century Of The Self, Taxi into the Dark, some Michael Moore classics (Sicko, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11,..), The New Rulers Of The World, Religilous, Occupation 101, Persona Non Grata, Manufacturing Consent, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (even though I don't much approve of Hugo Chavez, it shows how manipulative private media works for the interest of the oligarchy), etc.

Books: I'd love to read the library of the world but a combination of laziness and time poverty leads to phases where I don't touch a page. In others I like to put my nose into books which are not purely entertaining but also provide you with some valuable knowledge - that's why for instance Josepf Stiglitz's 'The Discontents of Globalization' has to be added to my all time favourites. Richard David Precht's 'Wer bin ich und wenn ja wieviele' is in my opinion a must-read of German literature. I just loved it. This guy is genius!
It has also happened that I entangle myself in purely entertaining literature. I hugely enjoyed the works of Dan Brown and one of my most favourite and worthwile read in my life was 'Merde Happens' from Stephen Clarke, you will laugh your ass off. I have just started tryin to read 'Infinite Jest' from David Foster Wallace and have to admit it is not easy as a non-native speaker to follow his constant lyrical fireworks... I'll give my best to finish to the end of the year but besides being a heavy read it has plus 1000 pages.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Middle East & South East Asia - both regions perfectly equipped to open and transform the conventional, accustomed, and lazy occidental mind... most enriching!

Teach, Learn, Share

Most probably my two native languages, German and Turkish. I would love to elevate my rudimentary skills in French, Spanish and (Egyptian) Arabic.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am being told that I am a great cook. With little effort I can usually provide a decent meal you will remember.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, United Kingdom, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Egypt, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

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