ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Ilse. A 27 year old girl from Leeuwarden. During the week I work as a social worker at the Salvation Army. After worktime I am constantly trying to find something new and fun to learn. After getting my Bachelor's degree I started missing studying, so every now and then I like to take all kinds of courses or just totally focussing on something new; like calligraphy, improv comedy, macrame'ing, reading about spirituality or feminism (we don't hate men! Everyone is just equally worthy of love and acceptance) or learning a new dancing style. You know what they say: jack of all trades, master of none. ;) There are just SO many things I find fun and interesting. I also love to hear about the passions of others. The things that makes their eyes sparkle.
This is also the reason that I like to travel to places that are very different from mine. The people you meet can change your perspective and worldview tremendously, which, in the best case, can make you a much more loving and understanding person. It would be my pleasure to meet you.

PHILOSOPHY

It's better to regret something you did, than to regret something you did not do.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is the coolest way to meet locals. They can show you much more of the culture of a city or country than I could ever discover on my own.
I enjoy meeting new people and sharing experiences about whatever we've learned in our travels or just in our life alone. Also, if I'm lucky enough for them to join me whilst exploring their city/country, I'll be able to gain new experiences with them! :)

Interests

I love festivals. A lot. And not just for the music, but for the wonderful atmosphere most festivals have. People are happy and friendly and it's as if everyone is one big group of friends.
Other than that I like photography, psychology, philosophy, poetry, dancing, participating in my church, writing, meeting new people and reading.

• culture
• writing
• poetry
• photography
• concerts
• festivals
• dancing
• vegetarian
• fitness
• partying
• flowers
• reading
• traveling
• music
• christian
• sports
• philosophy
• psychology
• spirituality
• feminism
• walking in nature
• vintage shopping

Music, Movies, and Books

I used to be totally into rock music. Nowadays I still am, but my taste in music had broadened to lots of different music styles. I enjoy music festivals and going to drumnbass, psytrance and techno parties, though I also like indie and other more popular music genres.

I usually read 2 books at a time... one fiction for fun, one educative and maybe something else if it doesn't take too much energy and I just can't choose.

I'm more of a Netflix series- than a movie person.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of the most beautiful places I've been is in France, near Embrun. We went into the mountains and went off-road, down the river. The place we ended up was covered with wild flowers and hundreds of butterflies which would sit on your shoulder, arm, nose, anywhere, when you were calm enough. There also was a waterfall with really clear, drinkable water. It seemed a little piece of paradise in this world.

2nd: bungeejumping in the evening at Sziget festival, Hungary. Seeing al of the colorful lights on the island, the Danube, Budapest city in the distance and watching the main stage act upside-down while flying through the air.

Teach, Learn, Share

One thing I've learned on here is that you always have to trust your guts. Most people are OK, but there also are some hosts on here for the wrong reasons. If something does not feel entirely okay, I will not bother staying over for even one night. I rather spend some money on a hostel, than risking my own safety at someone else's.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you some Dutch or Frisian (the language we speak in the upper north province of the Netherlands), some calligraphy, cook something vegetarian, take you to my favorite karaoke bar and I know quite something about make-up, haha.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Curaçao, England, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, Romania, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands