Hello there, I'm Joachim, grew up in Belgium, studied social & health psychology in Maastricht (NL) and exercise & sport psychology in Jyväskylä, Finland. Currently doing my phd in psychology: developing an intervention (& study) to enhance Executive Functions among elementary school children (9-11 y/o), I also teach sport psychology at Maastricht University (NL).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness (Mark Twain). I love broadening my horizons and getting to know new people, sharing ideas and memorable experiences. I strongly believe we can all learn a lot from each other and we're all in it together, trying to make the world a better place.

Interests

I am passionate about sports (futsal, olympic lifting, bouldering, yoga, and beach volleyball), nature (getting into surfing and climbing, but a 'mere' walk in the park can be a true delight as well), music (mostly jazz, rock, techno, & of course a thousand other less-defined genres), cultural enrichment & differences, red wine & whisky (not to mention strong beer, I'm still Belgian :)).
Also noteworthy: psychology, macro-economics, philosophy, boardgames and word play (I also write poetry occasionally).

• poetry
• festivals
• dancing
• wine
• red wine
• beer
• exercise
• yoga
• partying
• traveling
• bouldering
• music
• jazz
• cycling
• surfing
• sports
• rock climbing
• volleyball
• economics
• psychology
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Isaac Asimov is a legendary writer in my humble opinion. Island by Aldous Huxley is probably the most beautiful book I've read so far. Also enjoyed 'wherever you go, there you are' a lot. Haruki Murakami, Econoshock almost is a must-read for every human being caring about the world. As are Human Planet & Planet Earth (BBC documentaries). I enjoyed a long list of series in my student years (the wire, deadwood, that 70's show, vikings, GoT, coupling, etc.). I like inspiring films or just plain masterpieces (Stanley Kubrick is such a master imo). I enjoy way too many artists to list them all but to name a few: the war on drugs, explosions in the sky, this will destroy you, bonobo, if these trees could talk, san soda, soul, funk, jazz, rock, techno). It is a very long journey to explore the universes of books, music and fine arts :).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I climbed the Saint-Victoire (a humble 1000m) on foot and le Mont Ventoux by bike (1911m). But that's only the beginning of my mountain-aspirations.
The sports festival in Portugal (www.sportsfestival.pt) was absolutely amazing, 4 days of 50+ sports in the Algarve with thousands of like-minded people. A memory I will cherish forever.
I've seen Aurora Borealis 8 times in Finland, perhaps the storm on March 17th (St. Patrick's day) 2013 was the most astonishing, it was the most lucid, intense show in more than a decade, all colors, all forms and patterns, all night long.

Teach, Learn, Share

I like to consider myself a life-long-learner. Being inspired by experts in the field is a true privilege. I hope to one day be able to do the same for young students. So far, I really enjoy teaching at the university (small courses, mostly sport psychology and intervention mapping (designing behavior change programs, mostly for the benefit of people's health)), it's a very rewarding and diverse job. I consider myself very lucky in that regard.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have a very wide range of interests and love having meaningful conversations about them. I'm generally optimistic and enthousiastic, always up for a physical challenge in nature or a good party with lots of dancing :).
Needless to say, friends I meet will always have a place to stay in Maastricht, or San Diego, where I plan to work in 2017. After that, the future will tell.

Countries I’ve Visited

Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Finland, Germany, Netherlands