I’m from Germany but have been living in Copenhagen for the last two years (beautiful city, especially in summer!). I would describe myself as open and curious, but at the same time I am easygoing and calm. I love learning about how things work and are connected (which is why I studied physics) and am somewhat of a language enthusiast - I speak German, English and Danish (still learning), but also know differently sized bits of French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic, Nepali and Mongolian.
I love mountains and am into all kinds of outdoor activities, but also cozy creative afternoons or watching a good anime series.

I am constantly working on broadening my horizon, both literally and figuratively - travelling is my favourite way of learning and growing. I like to travel the slow way by long distance hiking, hitchhiking, homestays or volunteer working, staying in one country for a while so that I really learn to understand rather than just see. I want to make friends and get to know my surroundings, get a feeling for the culture and the way of living, learn to cook some local dishes and ideally pick up a bit of the language too.

For me, travelling is growing by leaving my comfort zone, widening my view of the world and connecting with amazing people from all over the place ☺️

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

What better way to get insight to a country and culture than to stay with locals? Positive side effect: new friends :)

Before joining CS, I had already tried quite a bit of volunteering with Workaway and WWOOF and love it, both the aspect of connecting with locals and other travellers, and of staying somewhere that feels more personal and purposeful than just in a hotel.

Interests

• environment
• reading
• pottery
• knitting
• bouldering
• hiking
• camping
• languages
• whitewater kayaking
• ski touring

Music, Movies, and Books

Finally reading again and loving it! Currently: Fantasy and a book about Genghis Khan

Music: a lot of random things to be honest. Quite a bit of Danish songs, German rap, or the music of whichever country I’m travelling in.

Films: I don’t watch a lot of films, mostly only with friends. In the last couple of years, I came to enjoy anime quite a bit

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

* an old Nepali lady in whose guest house I was staying served me soup, apple pie (her specialty) and a shot of alcohol to treat the stomach problems I was having on a long hike. She treated me like her granddaughter, and we had conversations by the kitchen fire in broken English, Nepali and body language

* when me and my friend were hiking in Mongolia and realised we weren’t going to reach our goal for the day, we stopped at the next hut we came across and asked if we could sleep here. We were welcomed very warmly by the family, served dinner and spend a nice evening asking and answering each other curious questions despite the language barrier.

* I had to wait for a train in China very early in the morning, while everything (including the train station waiting room) was still closed. It was dark and very cold. I spotted two men in train uniforms and asked them where I could wait, one of them spoke a little bit of English. “Follow me!”. They took me to a small restaurant and invited me for milk tea and baozi for breakfast. Then they brought me back to the now open waiting room.

* hitchhiking to the Gobi desert in Mongolia and realising that the reason for my trip is not primarily the beautiful sights, but rather the amazing people that I am meeting on the way.

All in all: The generosity and friendliness of strangers I meet on my travels.

Teach, Learn, Share

I’ll happily learn anything! Especially:
* Languages
* Cooking local dishes
* Crafts
* (Card) games

I can teach you anything I know, eg.:
* English and German
* doing a roll in a kayak
* why a jam sandwich falls on the side with the jam
* Knitting
* How to make Kässpätzle, a southern German comfort food involving lots of cheese

What I Can Share with Hosts

Exchanging stories and ideas, language exchange, cooking German food, help with whatever you need :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Denmark, England, Germany, Scotland