I'm a first generation dutch immigrant! Or is it second generation? Whichever it is, my parents moving here from Holland is the crux of it. I've grown up traveling around with family and I love swapping stories and just general multiculturalism! I really caught the travel bug hard during two gap years, when I had a great time backpacking with friends in Southeast Asia, living in Chicago, and backpacking through Europe with my brother. And even though it's now time to focus on one of my favorite pastimes - school -, I've been able to work in a few solid weeks of travel here and there! But let's keep the good times rolling and karma coming by hosting other travelers!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I moved to Cleveland in the summer of 2015, and I have gotten to know both the city and some of the couchsurfing community here! If I have the time, I love to join my couchsurfers and show them around town a little bit. There's no better way to get to know your city better than through the eyes of a visitor!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've grown to love couchsurfing after I started hosting travelers with my roommates in Chicago. It's always a lot of fun to hear about people's different backgrounds and plans, and to just have an excuse to hang out with the adventurous! I couchsurfed on a few road trips and a bit in Europe and had a great time meeting a lot of cool people. Most of my time on Couchsurfing while traveling may actually boil down to participating in events though. Definitely a great way to travel or to just change up the tempo. And here in Cleveland, I've had a bunch more people pass through than I thought I would! Each of them has been a blast to host in their own way, and it's fun to see other parts of the world filter through my own living room. Here's hoping for only more experience as both a host and a traveler over the next few years in Cleveland!

Interests

Listening to music, lifting, biking, hanging with friends, watching movies and shows, reading, playing some video games, walking around parks, learning something new, karaoke, eating delicious food, going out for the night, writing some music, traveling, listening to stories, and just having good fun.

• writing
• dining
• walking
• movies
• video games
• reading
• traveling
• music
• karaoke
• cycling
• backpacking
• scuba diving
• engineering
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC
Fleet Foxes, Frightened Rabbit, Joe Pug, Coheed and Cambria, Tool, Titus Andronicus, The National, The Gaslight Anthem, Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Bonobo, Silversun Pickups, PUSA, Yes, Deathcab for Cutie, Ludovico Einaudi, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, The Police, Ben Howard, The Front Bottoms, The Decemberists, Cake, Rush, RHCP, The Mountain Goats, Russian Circles, The Postal Service, River City Extension, Weezer

MOVIES
Lotr, Mongol, Alien/s, Children of Men, Serenity, the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, Gladiator, Good Will Hunting

BOOKS
For Whom the Bell Tolls, On The Road, The Hobbit, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Flowers for Algernon

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I saw a manta ray and a whale shark at the same time when I was scuba diving in the Similan Islands National Park. One of the major highlights of my Southeast Asia trip. Oh, also, I fought in a ring in Ko Phi Phi, Thailand!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you a little bit about cooler stuff happening in biomedical engineering, and a bit about brewing! I may be able to share some home-made beer or mead with you, if I happen to have some around when you visit.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United States