CURRENT MISSION

Mars

ABOUT ME

I'm German-Irish. I've lived in Holland, Ireland, and Thailand. I studied theoretical physics, so in theory I understand everything. I'm teaching and traveling (traveling by teaching), currently in Budapest.

I like meeting all kinds of people in all kinds of places. I like in-depth conversation and want to know what people are all about, what makes them who they are, why they do what they do, and what drives them.

Music is very important to me. I play the piano. I don't know what it is about studying a piece and playing it and perfecting it... but it makes me feel great.

I'm always reading stuff, I adore the cinema atmosphere, I drink a lot of tea, I make awesome pancakes smothered with syrup, I love swimming but I don't like swimming pools, I like the smell of burning metal, and I ask "Why?" a lot.

PHILOSOPHY

L i v e

s l o w l y

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Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

So far I've surfed a good number of times, each time being an eye-opener in its own way. I haven't hosted yet, but I find really want to. What's necessary is to have a suitable house and flatmates who don't object to the idea. For me, always the one or the other is missing.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

When my good friend first told me about it I was skeptical, but after amazing experiences in Bonn and Munich I was fully converted. I still find a much more satisfying way to visit a place than conventional touristing.

I love that when you meet another couchsurfer you almost always connect much faster. You skip a lot of the social formalities. The couchsurfing dynamic is very special.

Interests

I like being in nature, it makes me feel free. My best thoughts come to me when I'm moving. I love cooking new things, but I'll never tire of pancakes and scones. I spend a lot of time reading and thinking about linguistics, astronomy, feminism, and politics.

I'm curious about any type of contemporary art, even if I know very little about it. I like to see art as a conveyer of emotion and the more art you see the more you feel.

• arts
• contemporary art
• womens rights
• dining
• cooking
• drinking
• politics
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• piano
• hiking
• swimming
• astronomy
• languages
• physics
• hitchhiking
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favorite books are:
Max Havelaar, by Multatuli, about the unjustness of Dutch colonial rule in the east indies.
The Barrytown Trilogy, by Roddy Doyle, about a working class north Dublin family.
One Big Damn Puzzler, by John Harding, which is nominally about the inhabitants of a South Pacific island. Really, it's about a lot of things, from globalization to obsessive compulsive disorder.

There is no genre of music I won't listen to. My favourite composers and musicians include Debussy, Beethoven, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Esbjorn Svenson Trio, Miles Davis, Blue Scholars, Aesop Rock, Simon and Garfunkel, Radiohead, Bob Dylan.

Some movies I saw recently or not so recently and I really enjoyed are Cidade de Deus, Mr. Smith goes to Washington, Dr. Strangelove, Once upon a Time in the West, Amélie, Good Bye Lenin, El Laberinto del Fauno, Der Baader-Meinhoff Komplex, Into the Wild, Oh Brother Where Art Thou

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiking through the Norwegian wilderness for a week with some good friends. Being far far away from civilisation and following a winding trail between lakes, streams, up and down past the tree line was a thoroughly mind-refreshing experience.

Hitchhiked through the Alps and met some amazing people. Hitchhiking, like couchsurfing, is a wonderful way of traveling because it gives you access to very unlikely experiences, and this trip was great for its unlikely events.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love little cultural differences. I like to notice them and have them pointed out and I like to understand them. This touches on one the reasons why I like Couchsurfing: it allows me to come a lot closer to what a city/country is really like.

I am very interested in both teaching and learning languages. Ideal would be some kind of mutually beneficial arrangement where I teach you and you teach me.

Nature fills me with peace: teach me about it!

Ask me about physics!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like sharing food and cooking for/with people. Food, being one of vital things in life, has a great potential to bring people closer together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Thailand

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