CURRENT MISSION

Out of the bubble ...

ABOUT ME

PLS read the profile before sending your request!;)

We met in war zone. Yes we did! Summer 2006 in Lebanon while Marika was covering the news, journalist as she is. Jad packed his bags and moved to Helsinki and then we got married. Got bored to sit behind the desk though, and decided its time to go to see the real world. So we traveled for 11 months, came back to Finland in Feb 09 and now obviously growing roots while trying to collect some money for a new trip...

PHILOSOPHY

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

We have "couchsurfed" long before it officially existed...

Interests

Love photographing! Also reading, writing; art and design, history and archaeology, scuba diving and swimming and this Finnish thing water running, glossy magazines, music; tigers, sharks and all the rest of cute animals, endless conversations - that's Marika.

Jad is an IT & gadgets geek... but he also enjoys political debates, sometimes trekking and hiking, ice-fishing, clubbing etc.

Us both: movies, travel & cultures, wine & good food, long conversations about all before mentioned and more!

If you bring a interior decoration/design magazine from your country (no matter the language), you will make Marika a very happy girl! :)

• animals
• arts
• culture
• writing
• design
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• running
• clubbing
• politics
• news
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• equestrian
• fishing
• hiking
• scuba diving
• sailing
• swimming
• history
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

We have way too many books in the house. Marika is the reader, but Jad is slowly learning the enjoyment of the books, too... ;) She, on the other hand, reads everything from milk cartons to world classics and non-fiction.

And about music we fight all the time. Marika likes indie rock and pop (mostly) but also 70-80's classic rock, Jad more mainstream pop, both Western and Arabic.

For a surprise to everyone, we actually like the same movies! Almost.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Jad: Ice fishing,Clubbing in Beirut, Syria's souks, Helsinki's tramlines, Ubud in Bali, Borobudur temple in Java, Sienna in Italy, Monaco, and Paris, Paris, Paris!

Marika: Diving with sharks in Saba, Netherlands Antilles. Camel safari in Thar desert, India. Old town in Kabul, Afghanistan. Horseback riding in Mongolia. Trans-Siberian railway. Sunrise in Himalayas, sunsets in Bali. Orangutans in Borneo. Italian art. And Paris!

This is where we have been

Map Legend: 22%, 58 of 263 Territories
Red Yellow Maroon

Red: we have lived, yellow: we have traveled
© worldmapmaker.com | Travel Insurance

Teach, Learn, Share

We can teach you a bit of Finnish or Arabic, tell you about the culture, politics and life in Scandinavia and/or Middle East and teach you how to cook food from both areas. Marika is always keen to learn more about photography and talk about it!

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Zambia

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, Lebanon

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