ABOUT ME

Happiness is only real when shared. I love having people around me and sharing experiences, although I do like my quiet moments every now and then.

I teach biology at a high school - but I also love sharing my knowledge outside the classroom (which occasionally gets a little annoying, if you ask my housemates ;) ). I love nature, the way it works, the way our bodies work, the way everything that lives is intricately connected, and I really enjoy sharing my passion for all that with others.

After traveling around for a while I'm currently settled down (at least for a while) in a small but wonderful town in the Netherlands. I live in a beautiful (mainly) student community with big gardens, where we grow veggies, have chickens running around, and generally laze around and enjoy life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

My first couchsurfing experience started with a brief text from a friend of mine: "Do you have a couch available for an Ozzie??" Although I'd never hosted before, I didn't mind, and within about half an hour there he was, with a backpack and more importantly, a guitar. In the month that followed, he crashed on my couch on a very irregular basis, he even had a key to the house at some point. Campfires with live music, cycle tours around town, festivals with random other people, and so on! I signed up to Couchsurfing.org right away, it had been such a good experience!

Interests

In random order: Learning new things, going outside, climbing, exploring, swimming, playing the piano, reading, talking, massaging, gardening, walking, hiking, photography, yoga, meeting new people, WWOOFing, moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle, permaculture, wildlife conservation, astronomy, eating, cooking, baking, beer, drinking tea, kayaking...

Ever since I started traveling I've been a bit restless when spending time back home. But more than hopping from city to city, town to town, beach to beach, I like living in one place for a while and getting to know the place and the people. Building new friendships is what makes those stays so valuable. I enjoy meeting people from different countries, different cultures, different religions, different worldviews, and I enjoy debating and discussing those differences and learning from them.

• wildlife
• chickens
• photography
• festivals
• cooking
• beer
• baking
• yoga
• running
• walking
• drinking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• live music
• guitar
• piano
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• kayaking
• rock climbing
• swimming
• astronomy
• biology
• religion
• tours
• beaches
• mountains

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent half a year in Fiji - which was more amazing than I could've ever imagined. It is a beautiful place, besides the widely marketed white beaches, blue sea and gorgeous coral, it's got mountains, rainforest, caves and more. But there's more than that, the people are so incredibly hospitable and friendly, and made me feel at home so far from home.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Morocco, Mozambique, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Fiji, Netherlands