CURRENT MISSION

Leaving the US for good but not without exploring it a little further on the west coast.

ABOUT ME

Maja, 20, from Germany but living in Darien, Connecticut

In love with New York, Munich and Amsterdam, movies and beaches, photography, summer, playlists and mojitos, magazines, books and fashion and people, but most of all life.

https://www.facebook.com/maja.ruhbach
http://instagram.com/mjruh

PHILOSOPHY

If I was really good with words, my philosophy would probably sound like this (until then we'll stick to a favourite quote by Mary Schmich):

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's. Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

At the moment I'm only using the website for surfing couches myself since I am kind of traveling for over a year now, but as soon as I'll have my own place with some spare space back in Germany I'll definitely look forward to host fellow couchsurfers and will be glad to show people around, if anyone should be interested in that little part of the country.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've couchsurfed while traveling in Florida (it was a major addition to my overall experience there) and have some friends that are into it and can only share the best memories as well.

Interests

Photography, traveling, meeting new people
http://mrphoto.tumblr.com/

• books
• singing
• fashion
• photography
• beauty
• dancing
• vegetarian
• running
• partying
• movies
• tv
• traveling
• painting
• fishing
• surfing
• geography
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll

Garden State, Breakfast At Tiffany's, Closer, An Education, 2 Days in New York, Lost in Translation, Rain Man, Something's Gotta Give, Kill Bill, The Notebook, Into The Wild, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Inglourious Basterds, Fight Club, The Holiday, A Single Man, Good Will Hunting, Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You

Paulo Coelho, Jonathan Safran Foer, Sophia Kinsella, Cheryl Strayed and I'm sure I'll love Sylvia Plath and Kurt Vonnegut among others if I finally get my hands on their work

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Becoming vegetarian
Leaving friends and family to live abroad
Randomly running into THE Vincent Chase at a private party
Driving down the US 1 while roadtripping California
And this: http://youtu.be/RD66Zw6aBPE

Teach, Learn, Share

I could probably teach you some bits of German language, am willing to learn and get to know about everything that is interesting and can provide nice portrait shots since my Canon is always around. It might also happen that once I get into it, I won't stop giving advices on books, places, tv shows and Youtube videos that you must read / visit / see before you die.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States