CURRENT MISSION

Life is too short to do so little

ABOUT ME

I like to explore, and learn what it is about other cultures that makes them different; even if some of the differences piss me off initially.

I'm very contemplative and analytical when alone, but a little more unusual and silly when around good company.

There have been some changes to the CS website... You're either "fluent" or "learning" a language an nothing in between, so:

Je peux aussi parle le bien Francais, mais je suis pas courament. (B2-C1?)
Ich kann auch sprechen ein bisschen Deutsch. (A2-B1)

PHILOSOPHY

I think we make our own purpose in life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I don't necessarily enjoy doing "touristy" activities when in other cities, I prefer to explore more trendy areas, finding nice cafe's and art galleries. I like to walk past locals speaking in a language I don't understand.

I think couchsurfing is superior to hotels/hostels if you're travelling alone. What makes these cities that I visit incredible is not only the architecture, food, etc. That's only one component, it's the people that make a place what it is.

I certainly don't come to other cities to be drunk during my stay.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Showed a couchsurfer around Vancouver in early 2012.
Surfed in Paris for a few days during May of 2013
Hosted 2 friends and 1 Couchsurfer in Berlin during the Summer of 2013.
Surfed with 3 people in Paris during April 2014.
Surfed in Belgium for 3 days in April 2014.
Surfed with 2 people in Copenhagen for 5 days in May 2014.
Surfed with 3 people in Berlin for 4 days in July 2014.
Surfed with a couple in Munich for 3 days in July 2014.
Surfed with someone in Edinburgh for 3 days in August 2014.
Surfed in Glasgow for 2 days in August 2014.
Surfed in Manchester with 2 people for 3 days in August 2014.
Surfed in Montreal with 2 people for 6 days in January 2015.
Surfed in Oslo with one person for 4 days in April 2015.
Surfed in Stockholm with one person for 3 days in April 2015.
Surfed in Helsinki with one person for 3 days in April 2015.
Surfed in Berlin with one person for 2 days in April/May 2015.

Interests

I like finer things. I'm particular about my coffee. I have an interest in indie bands, abstract art, avant-garde fashion and good books. But if you want a more detailed idea of what I like, you can probably pick up a "Monocle" magazine, I like most of the stuff that they find.

I pay a lot of attention to world events, and love to discuss foreign policy. In the sense of, why do state make the decisions that they do? What politicians say isn't as important or meaningful as their actions.

I prefer big cities over small villages, though that's not to say that I can't enjoy them.

• arts
• books
• architecture
• fashion
• tattoos
• dining
• coffee
• partying
• clubbing
• politics
• traveling
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Anything directed by Stanley Kubrick or Orson Welles. If it's in the Criterion Collection, I'll probably like it.

I like a lot of music, though if it's played on the TV/Radio, it's unlikely that I'll enjoy it. I have a particular liking towards British dubstep, Japanese hip hop, rap with jazz influences, French house, Tool and Ulver. And anything that would be played in Berghain.

I really like the work of Yukio Mishima, Tao Lin, Don DeLillo, William Gibson, Mark Z. Danielewski. I also enjoy a good graphic novel/BD.

I'm also interested in philosophy and current events (as a journalism student should be). I like reading Nietzsche, Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Derrida, Ayn Rand (no I don't agree with everything she says), Lacan, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, Slavoj Zizek. I also like reading Foreign Affairs, the Monocle and Delayed Gratification.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One would be when I was on a bus in Tokyo at night, and at some point we were on the Shuto Express way. Seeing all those lights go by, the city above and below, it was absolutely fantastic. It - to me - felt like something out of Blade Runner.

Another one would be Berghain in Berlin. I don't normally like night clubs, but this one is really special. It's what you imagined a nightclub would be like before you actually went into one. It's dark, grimy, everyone has funny haircuts and tattoos, monotonous techno rolling along for several hours straight, the party lasting until the next day. Sehr geil.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm really interested in politics, how they work in different countries. Very interested in languages. If there is something newsworthy happening in your city, let me know while I'm there!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Canada, Germany

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