Hi world,

FYI: This account is the former account of Izzy, which is why many references are only referring to her. Even though this is a shared account now, it feels a bit weird to refer to the "about me" section as "we". After all, Arvand and Izzy are both individuals ;) Therefore, Izzy will type the text and introduce Arvand. (Fair enough, this used to be her account)

Anyhow, HI world!

This is me, Izzy, and my partner in crime Arvand as well as our dog Tito. In 2019 We all moved to Berlin to settle down and get to know this exciting, multicultural city. I lived in Vancouver for 2 years (that is when I received most of my references) and met Arvand and Tito at my workplace. We fell in love (technically I fell in love with Tito first) and lived together. I am German and Arvand is Canadian with Iranian background. Due to visa issues I had to leave Canada which eventually meant, the whole family moved to Germany.

If you are interested in the hard facts about our personalities, here they are: I am 33 and work as so called Customer Success Manager in the SaaS industry. Arvand is 43 and works remotely from home as a Web Developer. Tito is a Romagnolo Lagotto which is a breed that doesn’t lose hair (!) nor is smelly. I know, every dog owner says it but Tito is friendly. I read and still read books from Cesar Millan and establish my and Arvand's pack leadership with him. That means we understand dog psychology is different from human psychology and act in Tito's best interest. We don’t humanize this animal but take care of his needs first before anything else. We are happy to report that he is a balanced dog. Watch out guys because Tito is a heart stealer and he has his strategy even if you are not into dogs. Also, he is the fluffiest fluffball you can imagine and he doesn't mind if you cuddle and squeeze him (after the walk ;)

More important than the hard fact, what kind of people are I and Arvand?

I would describe myself as an authentic, genuine and caring person. I can adapt to many situations in life, don't need many (materialistic!) things to be happy, and am "down to earth". Give me a car, a mattress and I live in there no problem! (Okay, a toothbrush would be great). Most of the time I am vegan, sometimes vegetarian and when I know the origin of the meat sometimes a meat-eater. Nothing is black and white, right? ;) I start my day mindfully, try to do yoga every morning and eat a healthy breakfast that consists of fruits, oats, grains, seed and seaweed powder (no judgement please).

Once I feel comfortable, I can be funny and have my moments ;) I am more of an introvert, but no worries: I can talk as much as you. I just avoid too crowded places since they exhaust me. I can go into bars and clubs with people I feel comfortable with. But in general, I'd rather seek out empty places and have quality time with the person I meet.

Since every human being deserves to be treated with respect and kindness, I deeply believe in honesty and straightforwardness and hold myself up to that standard. Also, I learned a lot about empathy within the last year. Today, I believe to understand that people are profoundly different and that there is no right or wrong way to think or act. It all depends on the inclination of the person paired with their experience and circumstances in life.

I especially do value the small things in life: watching the snowfall under a lantern, the smell of fresh bedsheets, the interaction of colors during the sunset in combination with clouds in the sky or the sound of the waves on the beach. I really like going into nature with Tito and pay attention to things that most people seem to take for granted or don't even see (like f.e. how the wind whistles through the trees).

Also, it is funny to me how I remember reading these ambitious profiles on couch surfing about "connecting with other people" and thought "oh my god, who are these people and do they really believe that?". And now I am one of them. Haha. Let's connect!

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Now Arvand's part. It is all written with his full approval. Promise!

Arvand is a caring, genuine human being who can be described as a truly generous person. He loves to give, invites friends and family and provides the best food for them. YES - he can cook and especially his Persian cooking is legendary. He usually does not have a set plan when he enters the kitchen. He just goes in, does his magic and presents to you the best food, that you have ever eaten.
He can be described as a very social and outgoing person. He used to party a lot but got a little calmer over the years ;) Talking to and entertaining a group of people comes naturally to him. In fact, he tremendously enjoys talking to different personality types and be exposed to people with different opinions and views. It is not rare that he would talk to strangers who sit across the restaurant and, eventually, would clink glasses with them. Staying excited and not getting too comfortable is his mantra and source of living happily.

For more than 15 years Arvand practices Ashtanga Yoga. He openly admits that it is a challenge to keep up the practice once you let it slide a bit. However, he is persistent and keeps going at it. His music taste is unique as he plays music that you've never heard before. He used to DJ back in his twenties and got really good at it. Nowadays, he simply appreciates all types of music for their nature and somehow always manages to match the room atmosphere with his choice of music.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

So guys here is the honest truth: Initially, I signed up for Couchsurfing (2011) because I thought "great! I'll save some money". Now, 9 years later I have a completely different view on it. The reason why my view changed? Well, I matured (duh ;) but also I think this is one of the rare social media platforms that actually foster connecting with others in a deeper way than other platforms.

This is why I hosted in Vancouver: I love the idea of getting inspired by others and inspire others. Give me a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, undivided attention with the person in front of me and I can chat with you for hours. Let's talk about our challenges in life and what shaped us into the person we are today. I'd LOVE to meet people who know that only vulnerability connects us with one another (That sounds like I already figured it all out, which is not the case! I am still learning to be open and vulnerable. Funny enough, it seems to be easier with strangers than with your own family and friends sometimes). From my hosting experience in Vancouver, I can honestly state that I learned something from every one of them.

This is why I and Arvand host in Berlin now: My experience as host has been just awesome and I truly connected with a lot of beautiful people. With some, I am friends even to this day. Couchsurfing offers beautiful souls and we are want to open our door to them. We want to meet you, spend time with you, laugh with you and possibly explore Berlin with you a little bit (if it works out and we are free. But no pressure - you can do your own thing as well).

Interests

My bucket list includes (not complete, yet):

- learn how to surf (already started, but definitely not there, yet)
- learn how to horseback ride (still a lot to learn)
- stay in the wilderness for a couple of days -check
- watching the Northern Lights -check
- running a half-marathon -check
- eating mushrooms -check. I've changed ever since.
- speaking and improving my Spanish
- go on a Europe tour -half check
- learning how to play guitar and losing myself in the music while playing- started
- saving a dog from an animal shelter
- being a mom one day

• cooking
• traveling
• surfing
• deep conversations
• healthy eating
• spanish language
• eating food
• ashtanga yoga
• intelligent conversation
• emotional intelligence
• human connection
• unhealthy eating

Music, Movies, and Books

When I go out, I like to dance to hip hop music, and lately I discovered my attraction to EDM/Techno music.

In general, I rather watch shows instead of movies. I watch series like GOT, Homeland, Power, UNreal, Broadchurch, and so on ;) Shows are basically my movie substitute. The show that made me cry multiple times is Sense8. This show is truly a masterpiece and shows human connection in such a powerful way. I have strong feelings about it! However, my TV/show consumption is close to zero right now. I don’t feel any need to get myself in front of a screen at this time of my life. Also, our living room does not have a TV.

Books... well, since 2018 I started to read a few great books! The most mind blowing is still "The power of now", which took me almost a year to truly understand (I read it in 2017). All the talk about the ego made slowly sense and led onto my path of a more positive outlook in life. On that note, is there such thing like an Eckhard Tolle association? I would love to meet like-minded people.

Lately, the book "The Tools" casts a spell over me. Can't stop contemplating and practicing the tools. Same applies for "Coming Alive". These books are life-changing, guys! I firmly believe if everyone would apply them, we would all live with so much more joy plus our ego would not get into the way of connecting with one another!
Being truly happy with no validation from outside is a life-long challenge, which I recently started to take on. If "Please understand me", "Difficult Conversations", “Rising Strong”, "The Tools" or "Coming alive" ring a bell: LET'S TALK! I am especially interested in talking to peeps who read the two latter! :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Let's talk about in person

Teach, Learn, Share

Presence is key to a happy life.

If you are unhappy, you have 3 options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally (unknown author).

If you are not in the arena and also getting your ass kicked, I am not interested in your feedback (Brenè Brown).

Choose discomfort over resentment (Brené Brown).

What I Can Share with Hosts

- intellectual conversations
- empathy
- problem-solving (let me be your therapist ;)
- listening ear
- honesty and sincerity
- straightforwardness

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, United States