**We sadly are not hosting right now, because we are currently the ones traveling!**

New(ish) to traveling outside the USA, my wife Ella and I have a year planned to visit Europe and Asia, and then hope to keep a mindset of exploring for the rest of our lives. We have worked so hard and sold all we have so we can afford to get out of our normalness and comforts and get out into the craziness and uncertainty of the world. What a beautiful world it is, and we don't want to miss any of it. We want all the experiences of meeting new people and trying new things, of learning to not be picky about anything and just learn, grow, take photos, meditate, laugh, drink, eat, explore.

We are trying to see what the one life we have is all about. We haven't tried a lot of new things, so we are giving ourselves a break from our previous ordinary worklife so we can get out of the culture that we are used to, and see many fascinating/ funny/ creative people and life perspectives. That's why we're giving up time with out families and missing special moments with our Seattle friends, so we can find out what else is out there and shake up our worldviews a little bit. We are easy going and could have deep conversation all night, but we would also love having a good time like going to see a local show and seeing culture through the lights and sounds of the city.

I (Joel) grew up in Seattle, WA and lived have lived with 20miles of where I was born all his life. So I know Seattle, I know it's mountains, I know it's waters, I know it's food, but I still know little about the rest of the world, except from what I've eaten at the wonderful restaurants which people from those places have opened in Seattle. I am passionate about life, and eager to live big. I am so excited to see the world and meet people who are willing to talk gently about hard things without getting offended (and we are not offensive people also:) The world is so exciting and I just want to meet all of you and have a great conversation with you. But... I can also just chill next to a cozy fireplace or beach for 8 hours and not say a word, your choice!

Ella grew up in a small town in Eastern WA after being the only one of 4 kids born in the USA. Her family left Lithuania due to persecution during the chaos of the late 80's in Eastern Europe and found their home in Washington, creating a sort of mini Russian culture in Wenatchee, WA. The family has been through a lot but has made them even stronger and more resilient to the world. She is easy going, a good listener, and passionate about loving people in a real way and with good boundaries when needed. She is now discovering her own passions and the energy she brings to the world. In the midst of long days of hard work she loves to write and find inspirations. She wants to share in all cultures and put herself in other peoples' shoes and empathize with them and learn about different ways of life, and then find ways to share what she learns with the world. She is most exited to drink coffee, learn from you all, try new things, have honest conversations, and have fun!

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

To meet new people and explore new places! To listen and be inspired, and also to inspire and help people if we can. People on couchsurfing are usually friendly travelers themselves, trying to enjoy life and learn more, so it's great to meet like-minded people. One day when we get a house again we would love to host for more people (we sold everything to travel for a year). This seems like such a great vehicle for seeing and sharing the human experience.

Interessen

• animals
• cooking
• coffee
• baking
• gardening
• board games
• reading
• traveling
• cars
• auto racing
• music
• live music
• fishing
• hiking
• mountaineering
• sports
• computer science
• food
• exploring
• healthy eating
• silence
• card games
• building
• forest walks

Musik, Filme und Bücher

Books: Ender's game, The Time Machine, Meaning of Marriage, Hunger games, Harry Potter, Run Baby Run, CS Lewis's Narnia and Space Trilogy, Boundaries
Movies: Finding Forrester, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Star Wars: Original Trilogy, A Walk to Remember, Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, Love Actually, Gladiator, It's a Wonderful Life, Singing in the Rain, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Amazing Grace, Up, El Dorado, Dances with Wolves, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Green Mile, The Way
Music: Hidden History, Postal Service, Norah Jones, 21 pilots, Breaking Benjamin, Skillet, Macklemore, JJ Heller, Anberlin, the soundtracks from most Broadway musicals, Billie Holiday,

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Joel: Almost died climbing one of the US' tallest Mountains.
Ella: Can deadlift more weight than my husband ;)

Lehren, lernen, teilen

LIFE.
We want to see how different people around the world live. We are so excited to learn from others about everything, and then continue to spread that around with all of the beautiful souls that we meet along our way.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

conversation about ALMOST ANYTHING (except maybe celebrities), cooking a 'Pile of Food', sharing songs from Joel's old band Hidden History (https://spoti.fi/2P3Mzhh), dish washing abilities, handyman or IT skills (we like fixing stuff), organizing, gardening, buying groceries, etc.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, England, Fiji, France, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Lithuania, Mexico, Scotland, Spain, United States

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

United States