A simple girl in perpetual chase of beauty and truth. Travelling is a wonderful way to discover the countless shapes in which beauty reveals herself. I do not care about possessions or worldly status, but do care a great deal about being genuine and connecting with people and nature.

I write music: http://www.soundcloud.com/annajae

who i am
welcoming * enthusiastic * nostalgic * intuitive * contemplative * curious * stubborn * introverted * open * melancholic * cheerful * truth chaser * music addict * bookworm * cat lover * leftie

what i enjoy
the sound of a crackling fire * people who make me laugh * hiking * sledding down a snowy hill (backwards too) * the ultimate feeling of independence while travelling (hitchhiking, couchsurfing, solo-travel, i love adventure!) * spending quiet time with God * classical music * Illy cappuccino * going to Lindyhop dancing nights!! * impressionism * finding awesome old records at thrift stores * words used in a beautiful way * spontaneous plans * old libraries * intensively working on a musical piece, poem or story * vintage everything * swimming in the nearby lake when it's deserted * discovering new flavours or chords * complex people * trainrides * fractals * being entirely engrossed in an excellent book * hummingbirds * conversations with children * breathing in the crisp, yet unspoilt air during a solitary early morning stroll * cottage gardens * going out to concerts (indie, classical, electronica) * being in Ireland * bicycle rides through San Francisco * stargazing.

when we meet
Since i'm so much interested in people but also the history / culture of the country i'm visiting, i'll drink in all the stories you can tell me :). This will also colour my travelling schedule: visiting historical / archeological sites, beautiful nature, eating local food, etc. I'm not a partygirl, but i do like to go out for a drink in a cosy pub.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

NB: READ THE SECTION UNDER 'ADDITIONAL INFO' ON 'MY HOME' BEFORE SENDING YOUR COUCH REQUEST.

From 2010 - 2014 i have been very active in the CS community. I have both hosted and surfed and met incredibly amazing people from allover the world. The whole idea of welcoming people into my house for free, happily sharing a bit of my life and country with other earthlings has always greatly spoken to me and my vision of an ideal world.

I’ve been away for a while because in Oct 2014 CS’s new website completely ruined my pretty rad customized profile with loads of information on my country, my town and what people could expect when surfing my couch. I had worked on the profile for more than a year, put a lot of myself and my creativity in it, so that was kind of a blow to be honest.

https://www.couchsurfing.com/users/2518480/profile/legacy

But i’m back and ready to open up my house for travellers again!

Interests

people * sustainable living * vintage clothing * photography * flowers * composing music * the guitar, piano, violin & Irish tin whistle * justice * cats * gardening / flowers * hitchhiking * writing poetry & prose * organic food and cosmetics * quiet * Celtic Christianity * art * growing vegetables & herbs * history * self sufficiency * psychology * astronomy * philosophy * literature * cooking.

• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• poetry
• photography
• cooking
• coffee
• vegetarian
• organic food
• gardening
• flowers
• board games
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• piano
• violin
• agriculture
• astronomy
• history
• psychology
• science
• hitchhiking
• vintage
• lindyhop

Music, Movies, and Books

books
Authors: Virginia Woolf, Chaim Potok, Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, Emily Dickinson, Arthur C. Clarke, Brontë sisters, Jostein Gaarder, Janet Fitch, C.S. Lewis, Leo Tolstoy and many more.
http://www.goodreads.com/jeske

music
Bibio, Birocratic, Boards of Canada, Brown Feather Sparrow, Chopin, Coldplay, Débussy, Dvořák, Nick Drake, Epic45, Essáy, Firekites, Joao Gilberto, José Gonzalez, Helios, Kings of Convenience, Koda, Oren LaVie, Miles Davis, MuteMath, Ravel, Thomas Newman, Thrupence, Ulrich Schnauss, Sufjan Stevens, Tycho and many more.

films
Captain Fantastic, Interstellar, Waking Life, Into The Wild, Garden State, The Edukators, Adam, Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, Shawshank Redemption, White Oleander, K-Pax.

art
Among my favourite painters are: Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, Anton Mauve, Jozef Israëls, Jacob Maris, Claude Monet, Paul Joseph Constatin Gabriël, Willem Roelofs sr., Renoir, Salvador Dalí.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I think being alive is in itself a pretty amazing thing.

Teach, Learn, Share

learn
French, German. How to use ProTools. Everything about organic agriculture. Carpenting. Horseriding. Archery. Surfing.

teach
human kazooing, Dutch, guitar, piano. I can teach quite a lot about psychology and what i’ve discovered over the past years about how to live a happier and more connected life. The ins and outs of hitchhiking.

share
food, books and songs that changed our lives. Precious life experiences.

What I Can Share with Hosts

* A beautiful garden with many different flowers, vegetables and herbs, in which one can recline on a comfortable L shaped lounge bench or a reclining chair. We often sit outside in the evening with candles or a fire burning, wine and a guitar.
* A large book case with classics in English and Dutch.
* A game cube and several board games. And of course! A Bop-It! :P
* A TV with Netflix in the living room
* Healthy, vegetarian meals.
* When i have time, i can show you around in Zwolle.
* I have maps and other information available.
* There probably will be one extra bike available for guests to explore Zwolle and surroundings (recommended!)
* a washing machine
* sufficient towels & bedding for two guests
* WiFi

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

hosted
38 Paul from Melbourne, Australia, 20 June 2014 | 3 days
37 Alex from London, UK, 6 June 2014 | 1 day
36 Jim from Cloverdale, OR, USA, 21 April 2014 | 7 days
35 Jan from Ghent, Belgium, 14 November 2013 | 3 days
34 Adriana from Utrecht, Netherlands, 15 November 2013 | 1 day
33 Rudi from Dresden, Germany, 20 September 2013 | 1 day
32 Billy from Newton-le-Willows, UK, 19 August 2013 | 2 days
31 Tito from Eindhoven, Netherlands, 26 April 2013 | 1 day
30 Lucho from Sofia, Bulgaria, 23 april 2013 | 1 day &
29 Ven from Sofia, Bulgaria, 23 april 2013 | 1 day
28 Chris from Winterthur, Zwitserland, 26 March 2013 | 3 days
27 Benito from Jakarta, Indonesia, 26 July 2012 | 1 day
26 Julian from Copenhagen, Denmark, 6 July 2012 | 1 day
25 Manja from Enschede, Netherlands, 16 April 2012 | 2 days &
24 Susanne from Enschede, Netherlands, 16 April 2012 | 2 days
23 Kelsi from Aberdeen, Scotland, 28 March 2012 | 2 days
22 Ingrid from Gorinchem, Netherlands, 27 March 2012 | 1 day
21 Tim from Hamburg, Germany, 23 September 2011 | 1 day
20 Sedao from Enschede, Netherlands, 19 August 2011 | 1 day
19 Rafal from Wroclaw, Poland, 13 August 2011 | 1 day &
18 Artur from Wroclaw, Poland, 13 August 2011 | 1 day
17 Michelangelo from Modena, Italy, 9 August 2011 | 1 day
16 Köksal from Istanbul, Turkey, 5 August 2011 | 2 days &
15 Özkan from Istanbul, Turkey, 5 August 2011 | 2 days
14 Jabby from Taipei, Taiwan, 21 July 2011 | 2 days
13 Luba from Ershov, Russia, 13 July 2011 | 1 day &
12 Anton from Moscow, Russia, 13 July 2011 | 1 day
11 Mo from Suzhou, China, 4 June 2011 | 2 days
10 Daniele from Rome, Italy, 23 May 2011 | 2 days
09 Jamie from Wantage, United Kingdom, 3 / 15 May 2011 | 9 days
08 Rait from Tartu, Estonia, 20 March, 4 April, 1 May 2011 | 7 days
07 Mart from Tartu, Estonia, 20 March, 4 April, 1 May 2011 | 7 days
06 Jed from Denver, US, April, October – December 2010 | 4 months
05 Guido from Stein, Netherlands, 2010 | couple weekends
04 Lennart many times @ my place in Ede & Zwolle!
03 Susanne from Zwolle, Netherlands | many weekends in Ede!
02 Menorah she often stayed with me in Ede and Zwolle!
01 Nina from Amsterdam, Netherlands | many sleepovers as kids!

surfed with
38 Danna in San Francisco, USA, 15 Sept 2014 | 3 days
37 Pascal & Alain in Paris, France, 26 March 2014 | 2 days
36 Jesse in SF, USA, 23 - 26 Sept & 18 - 21 Oct 2013
35 Joshua in Sacramento, USA, 6 Oct 2013 | 2 days
34 Danna in San Francisco, USA, 23 Sept 2013 | 3 days
33 Andrea in Rome, Italy, 5 June 2013 | 4 days
32 Jim in Puerto Escondido, México 13 Nov 2012 | 2 days
31 Victor in Acapulco, México 10 Nov 2012 | 3 days
30 Citlali in México City, México 6 Nov 2012 | 4 days
29 George in St. George, UT, US 4 Nov 2012 | 1 day
28 Donna in Cortez, CO, US 2 nov 2012 | 2 days
27 Kelly in Grand Canyon, AZ, US 31 Oct 2012 | 2 days
26 Angie in Paso Robles, CA, US 27 Oct 2012 | 1 day
25 Matt in Yosemite, CA, US 25 Oct 2012 | 1 day
24 Jim in Klamath Falls, OR, US 10 Oct 2012 | 2 days
23 Jim in Beaver, OR, US 7 Oct 2012 | 1 day
22 Shawn in Seattle, WA, US 5 Oct 2012 | 2 days
22 Andy in Munich, Germany 2 July 2012 | 2 days
21 Laura (& housemates) in Oxford, UK 15 May 2012 | 3 days
20 Gerda(&Finn) in Copenhagen, Denmark 27 Jan. 2012 | 3 days
19 Benjamin in Randwijk, Netherlands, 21 October 2011 | 2 days &
18 Agnieszka in Randwijk, Netherlands, 21 October 2011 | 2 days
17 Cathal in Galway, Ireland, 29 August 2011 | 2 days
16 Mick in Cork, Ireland, 27 August 2011 | 2 days
15 Karen in Tramore, Ireland, 26 August 2011 | 1 day
14 Miguel in Dublin, Ireland, 23 August 2011 | 3 days
13 Vasilis in Almyros, Greece, 24 June 2011 | 1 day
12 Theodoros in Patras, Greece, 23 June 2011 | 1 day
11 Lefteris in Epidavros, Greece, 21 June 2011 | 2 days
10 Akis in Athens, Greece, 18 June 2011 | 3 days
09 Nikos in Trikala, Greece, 17 June 2011 | 1 days
08 Christos in Volos, Greece, 15 June 2011 | 1 days
07 Elpida in Volos, Greece, 14 June / 16 June 2011 | 2 days
06 Emrah in Berlin, Germany, 10 May 2011 | 4 days &
05 Francesco in Berlin, Germany, 10 May 2011 | 4 days
04 Jed in Denver, USA, 18 September 2010 | 9 days
03 Guido in Stein, Netherlands, 2010 | couple weekends
02 Menorah many times @ her place in Ede!
01 Nina in Capelle, Netherlands | countless sleepovers as kids!

travelled with

16 Susanne through Portugal July 2014 | 8 days
15 Roberto through Scotland and England May 2014 | 11 days
14 Joshua to Lake Tahoe, USA, 6 Oct 2013 | 2 days
13 Rik through US & México 23 Oct 2012 | 1 month
12 Jim through Oregon 8 Oct 2012 | 4 days
11 Lennart through Europe 25 June 2012 | 10 days
10 Hanna to Oxford & Sheffield, 15 May 2012 | 7 days
09 Hanna to London, 23 February 2012 | 3 days
08 Menorah to Copenhagen, Denmark, 27 January 2012 | 4 days
07 Lennart to London, England, 14 December 2011 | 3 days
06 Susanne through Ireland, 23 August 2011 | 9 days
05 Martha through Greece, 14 June 2011 | 12 days
04 Jamie to Berlin, Germany, 10 May 2011 | 4 days
03 Jed through US, Sept 2010 | 6 days & Brugge, Apr 2010 | 3 days
02 Susanne Many times / places in NL & Belgium!
01 Nina to Paris, 2001 | 1 day & through Italy, 2001 | 5 days

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United Kingdom

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