Hi!
My name is Jeanine McGhee, I've been born and raised in the Netherlands and I'm a solid 19 years old.
I graduated high school in '17. Afterwards I had two options: either start university after summer break or take a gap year. As if I knew what I wanted to do with my life right after high school? I wanted to travel in order to get to know myself and everything else around me, and that's exactly what I have been doing ever since. I've worked at a summer camp in Romania for almost two months, helped a family out with their kids and around the house in Réunion, backpacked through Slovenia and Russia, worked at the same summer camp in Romania again and sporadically I did some other spontaneous trips. Trips in which I've gotten to know a lot of interesting people, love, but most of all - myself.

Sadly that year is coming to its end and university life is right around the corner. I'll be settling either in Amsterdam or Amersfoort, but I don't want to say goodbye to the free life of traveling and meeting interesting people. So if you ever need a place to crash in the Netherlands - hit me up :]

Now, who am I?
I'm a student about-to-be. In september the next chapter of my life will begin in which I will be studying something that literally translates to General Social Sciences - kinda like sociology, but different. Doesn't matter. As long as it makes clear that I'm a people-person. I love studying people and their behavior. In order to figure out stuff - why do people do x, why do people do y - I tend to experiment a lot in whatever I do. I try to not stick to a pattern and be open to whatever decides to meet me on this path of life. But I also like to look for it, actively.
I've always been fond of traveling, cultures and languages. At the moment Dutch and English are my most fluent languages, but French is a close third and I'm also learning Spanish. And Romanian. And pretty much every other language that catches my interest.

I'm a barista, partly taught by others and partly self-taught. I don't have any official certification but I'm trying to know all about it. I will happily make you some good coffee and show you the best coffee hot spots in town.
Also I can get a little artsy. I love abstract art, poetry and theater and lately I've really gotten into that. I'm not very good at highly practical detailed drawing or painting, but I do give the ideas. For me abstract or modern art is a way of combining the head and the hands.

I'll happily welcome you. I love exploring and sharing what I've discovered. I don't live in Amsterdam - most travelers will probably go there. But I can assure you that my town, Amersfoort, is great too and it has great access to public transport; by train you can be in Utrecht in 15 minutes and in Amsterdam in about 30. Public transport is not cheap, but in some occasions I might be able to bring you by car and the benefit of staying in Amersfoort is that you'll experience the Netherlands without all the tourist attractions.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Learning about other cultures is the main reason why I'm on Couchsurfing. Whether it's at their house or at my place, I always feel like you can learn from each other and just have a really cool time together. I'm also pretty proud of my hometown that I thoroughly love, and I'd love to show people around :]

Interests

• arts
• culture
• books
• architecture
• coffee
• vegetarian
• cycling
• language exchange
• budget travel
• food
• learning languages
• personal development
• craft beer
• philosphy
• alternative lifestyles

Music, Movies, and Books

I love love love old music - 60's 70's 80's rock - but I like pretty much anything that includes a nice bass line or a funky beat or a nice guitar solo. I'm into poetry and books that are about self development or philosophical stuff. Currently going through some English classics, like Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit 451.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiked the volcano on la Réunion!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good conversations, interest in local culture, and I'll happily share a beer with you too.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Réunion, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Romania, Réunion