I grew up in Stuttgart (the automobile city! oh wait, I don't have a drivers license...), and went to school there. Then I went to Vienna to study International Development & Political Science at the University of Vienna.

Italy is sort of a second home for me, also been to most other big European nations, liked Greece & Portugal the most - I guess it was the sun which I'm quite addicted to...

I also spent a year at a home for the elderly in Spring Valley, NY, as a volunteer in a community of 160. I was on a trip through eastern Europe and the Middle East with two friends in the summer of 2010. It was amazing...landscapes that looked like the moon, bazaars/suqs, the desert, castles. caves, wonderful food - and some REALLY wonderful couch hosts... The same can be said about my trips through Italy....

and, of course, INDIA - the Indian CS community is just awesome. Sometimes I have felt like I didn't know how to ever repay their hospitality. But FRIENDSHIP is not always a quid pro quo (and I DO believe in Karma!), and that is what I have developed with most of my hosts!

I am kind of idealistic, and sometimes a little lazy. Sometimes I worry too much or I'm too polite, sometimes I'm really sensitive and sometimes not at all (my mouth can be faster than my brain) - but I really enjoy getting to know new people over a good wine or a beer - somehow I've never picked a favourite, but you can always try to convince me with a local favourite! :)

Other than that...I'm quite crazy about politics, and you would probably call me leftist. I have my principles, but I'm not dogmatic and narrow-minded. I love a good discussion, but I don't have to talk about it.

Aaaaand I love to cook - give me your kitchen and I'll try to make us happy (most of the time...).

PHILOSOPHY

Use all my senses, my empathy and my intellect to explore the world as it is - and develop the wisdom to bring people together just a tiny tiny bit more :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudita - I now have it on my arm!

My current (ongoing & endless?) mission, as you can see above, is to find some sort of selflessness in myself, to feel true joy for somebody else, for the beautiful moments in life. I think thats what its all about. I'm a believer, I guess. In humanity (wow, that sounded cheesy - but I feel like that!)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because THIS is what the internet was created for! And because CS is the counterargument to all this lack of humanity, common sense, sanity, racism, sexism etc. out there!

Interests

The Art of making people happy through good food, politics & news (not everybody's thing, I know...), talking to people from around the world about EVERYTHING, and, sadly, tech gadgets and cheap Dan Brown-syle mystery-thriller-action-save the world books...:)

• books
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• politics
• technology
• news
• traveling
• music
• political science
• science
• volunteering
• love

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies:
Lost in Translation, The Edukators, Terrence Malick movies, Wes Anderson movies, Coen brothers movies, Life in a Day, Forrest Gump, Crash, Im Juli, Angels in America, Dr. Strangelove, As It Is in Heaven, Mr. Nobody, The Godfather, White Oleander, Full Metal Jacket, Hotel Rwanda, Traffic, Sam Mendes movies, Bud Spencer & Terence Hill movies

Books:
I used to read a lot, now its mostly stuff for university...Some German favourites...LOTS of cheap American thrillers...you wouldn't want to know about the latter ;)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Slept in the desert with Bedouin food, Bedouin music and our Bedouin CS-host (!!!)

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
I've surfed in the US, in Romania, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, France, Portugal, Italy, Iran and India. So far, only wonderful experiences!

I've started giving back a little, hosting people. But 2016 will be a hard year for that...we will see :)

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach:
Spätzle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle) are Swabian (!!) noodles. End of discussion. :)

On a more...thoughtful...level: it doesn't really matter where Spätzle are from. They can be bad and good, spicy or bland, have different colours (yes, there are green Spätzle for example!) no matter where they come from. Now how hard is it to see the metaphor in that? I made it almost too easy for you ;)

Learn:
Nonviolent Communication after Rosenberg - I'm addicted and wanna learn more!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Germany, India, United States

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