Been away from CS for a while due to work and life being too busy. Excited to be back and to reconnect to this amazing community!

CURRENT MISSION

To do what I can to fight the injustices in this world. To make interesting theatre. To travel when I can. To always been open to new experiences.

ABOUT US (Linn and Matthew - we just got married!!)

Linn is a creative and curious, half Dutch half Swedish person. Matt is a creative and curious Englishman from Yorkshire. We both work as actors and theatre makers and live in London. Theatre, dance, singing and music are our passions and creativity a necessary part of our lives. We both love languages, travelling, meeting new people and discovering new things, always curious about the world. We are always up for some political discussion regardless of what your views are - if we have the same world view great, if we have opposing worldviews, even better. Always happy to meet people who see things differently.

PHILOSOPHY

We are both atheists but believe in humanity and are interested in different philosophies. We believe that human nature is inherently empathic and collaborative, and that we are all capable of creating a better world. I believe that empathy is the most radical force there is and that it forces us to grow as individuals. We believe in solidarity and equality. If I (Linn) was religious, I'd probably go for a nature worshipping religion as I absolutely love nature and wish we looked after it better and connected to it more in modern society. If I (Matt) was religious, he would probably be taoist or buddhist. We are both interested in mindfulness, being present in nature, and doing yoga. Our creative practice is our spirituality. :)

The main philosophy I, Linn, try to live by is to not let fear stop me. If there's something I don't want to do I always ask myself if it's because I don't want to or because I'm afraid to. If it's the answer is the latter, I force myself to do it anyway. Some wise person wrote "befriend your fear", and I think they're on to something.

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We are always happy to meet up for a coffee or similar and guide you around the city as well as we can. We live in a tiny 1 bed, but there is a living space where you'd be welcome to stay. Have hosted couple of times and surfed loads around the world. Some people I, Linn, have met are still my friends years later. It’s brilliant and I'm so happy I finally get to introduce my husband to the wonderful world of Couchsurfing!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Have both surfed and hosted a number of times. In Sweden, England, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the US, Scotland... My experiences so far have been absolutely amazing and I'm a true believer of the whole Couchsurfing concept. It’s brilliant! Due to my chaotic schedule as a freelancer and limited living space in expensive London, I am not able to host as much as I wish I could but it's always worth asking. Sometimes the stars align. Matthew is new to CS and really excited to get involved.

Centres d'intérêt

We love nature, food, travelling, meeting new people, music, theatre, dance, writing plays, painting, learning new things, horse-riding, politics, feminism and psychology. Linn is more interested in horses, and Matt is more interested in boardgames. We both love reading and exploring. Always interested in trying to understand more about what it is to be human and hearing good stories.

• horses
• arts
• singing
• politics
• music
• languages
• food
• travelling
• nature
• adventure
• theatre
• feminism
• litterature
• meeting new people

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

Movies: Linn: Little Miss Sunshine , Matthew: "Oh, Jesus! I don't know... don't really have one. "The alien one about language" (means Arrival, which is to be fair excellent)

Music: Linn: A wide range! Queen and Tracy Chapman will always be on the list... and then a mixture of singer/songwriters, jazz, pop, rock, electronica, musical theatre... probably something of everything. Matthew: Ben Howard, Aurora, Radiohead, Oasis, contemporary, classical, Englishy-folksy stuff... a wide range!

Books: We have a ridiculously over-filled bookshelf, despite both owning e-readers. It's a nightmare every time we move, but we can't help loving books.

Linn: Currently "The Body Keeps the Score" - amazing book! I like books about society, psychology and theatre. The Little Prince is lovely too. Anything by Bill Bryson, got to love Harry Potter, The Hunger Games... Mostly read non-fiction though.

Matthew: The list is endless... Ursula Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, Robin Hobb... Lots of books on creative practice and neuroscience. Honestly, the list is just too long to fit here.

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

Getting married was pretty cool. Especially as we did it twice due to the pandemic - once in a registry office and then a second time in Sweden with a big party. Planning a third party in London because why the hell not!

Linn: Travelling on my own to Cuba. Spent two months meeting locals, learning about the society there, riding horses and drinking ridiculously strong mojitos!

Matthew: Went to Ukraine as an actor in a show. Met amazing people there. It was before the war happened but the tension was already there. Did amazing drama workshops with a mix of refugees, displaced people and young men from the army. Such a learning experience.

Enseignez, apprenez, partagez

Can teach: Acting technique, singing, some yoga and meditation, how to manage anxiety, how to make theatre and art. Politics and gender studies would be another thing and perhaps English. Linn is also happy to teach you all she knows about Swedish/Dutch culture and language. Matt is happy to teach you chess skills if you are patient, or how to puppeteer anything.

Want to learn: Everything!

Ce que j'aimerais partager avec mes hôtes

Interesting conversation, humour, food, music, a spontaneous music jam if you play? I like cooking and am happy to cook you something :) Matt is an amazing puppeteer and can make the things in your home come alive as little characters. (Works extra well as entertainment after a glass of wine or 2!)

Pays que j'ai visités

Austria, Belgium, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Wales

Pays dans lesquels j'ai vécu

Sweden, United Kingdom

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