Although I'm well over 40, I still don't really know what I want to do when I grow up. I've done very different professions (systems administrator at an IT department, but also student counsellor at a Law school).
The one thing I absolutely LOVE however is to watch what happens when people learn something they couldn't do before. And it feels even better when I get to have some part in that. That sudden empowerment never stops to move and amaze me.
First discovered that feeling when I started teaching kids how to sail and I've been looking for activities that provide me with the same 'high' ever since.
At the moment I REALLY like helping people make their point if they have one. Especially experts who struggle to explain stuff that feels "normal" to them. I train people in public speaking, but I'm also a TEDx speaker coach.

Also I'm not often certain about things. Making up my mind is a challenge. A positive way to explain that is that I have an open mind ;-)
(I don't easily get along with people who are certain about everything...)

Oh... And although I LOVE the latest tech gear, I love driving in very old cars (I own a vintage Citroën 2CV) even more...

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

When I'm in a country that's new to me, I would like to really discover it. And for that, escaping the 'tourist bubble' seems the best way. Staying in hotels is easy and comfortable, and there's nothing wrong with tourists... But I'd like to meet some people who are actually from the country I'm in.

Interessen

• education
• dining
• technology
• cars
• sailing
• teaching
• public speaking

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

I've organized a dinner...
Doesn't really sound amazing, but the experience of this one dinner was amazing to me.
It was a three course dinner for 100 guests in an actual restaurant prepared by 3 professional chefs. And all the (fresh) ingredients were all salvagd as they were about to be thrown away.
The dinner was organized as a statement to confront people with the food we waste. We organized everything without any money and the dinner guests got their food foor free...
Beforehand, I wouldn't dream of that being possible, so when it came together, I was utterly amazed... :-)

Lehren, lernen, teilen

Although I've taken my first baby steps in learning Farsi, I'd love to learn and practice!
And if, for some quirky reason, you 'd want to practice our newly-learned Dutch on someone: try me!

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

Hopefully good conversation. I'm not really good at polite chit chat, but I love a real actual conversation anytime. I have a broad interest and especially if the subject touches on anything close to education and communication, I'm all ears!

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Montenegro, Morocco, Qatar, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Netherlands