Hi, I'm Madelief! I'm 22 years old, and currently taking a break from a Research MA in History. Growing up abroad made me love traveling from a young age (however cliché that sounds :) ), but since I've been living back home in The Netherlands for quite some time now, I try to fill my breaks with travel as much as my bank account allows it. I completed my Liberal Arts BA in History, Literature and Anthropology last summer (2019), and love exploring other cultures, languages and histories. Other things that I love are mountains, camping, dogs (or any kind of animal really), old cities and just generally hanging out with friends, both old and new!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm solo- traveling through the United States this summer and am looking for awesome places to stay and awesome people to meet!

Interests

• writing
• literature
• singing
• education
• traveling
• hiking
• camping
• anthropology
• ukulele
• food
• watching movies
• museums
• farming
• the outdoors
• good conversation
• american history
• vintage/secondhand clothes
• indigenous culture
• festivals and concerts

Music, Movies, and Books

My taste in music is super varied! Ranges from Sufjan Stevens, to Tyler, the Creator; from Laura Marling to Kendrick Lamar. At the moment I'm loving Weyes Blood and Julia Holter, but I'm also always in for any golden oldie album from the 70s and 80s (disco! but also: Joni Mitchel).

Same goes for movies actually... Good new ones I've enjoyed recently were The Two Popes, Hors Normes ("The Specials"), and Portrait de la Jeune Fille en Feu ("Portrait of a Young Lady on Fire"). My all-time favorite guilty pleasure is 10 Things I Hate About You...
Series I love are Bojack Horsema, Sex Education, The Good Place and Brooklyn 99.

My favorite books is even harder! Anything Roald Dahl has always been my go-to, as well as American classics such as To Kill a Mocking Bird and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Recent reads I loved were Normal People (Sally Rooney), LaRose (Louise Erdrich) and Americanah (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). I also really enjoy balancing my fiction reads with non-fiction about topics such as feminism, race and indigenous peoples.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I grew up as a small blonde girl in Shanghai, which was pretty awesome.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you how to count to 20 in Chinese, do fun Waldorf/Steiner-style arts and crafts with you (and your kids if you have them ;)), and make Chinese dumplings (my favorite food).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Travel stories, beer, my cooking, a laugh, weird Dutch sayings that don't translate that well to English, and hopefully meaningful and interesting conversations!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Latvia, New Zealand, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Netherlands, Taiwan