My name is Martin. I live in in Windsor, UK. I have been living in the UK for more than five years and previously I lived in Czechia, Prague. I think that the most important in your life is to find something you are passionate about. It should be the thing you desire to achieve, something that would drive you and make your life more purposeful. I had lot of smaller or bigger passions in the past. I used to travel and take part in various events that happened spontaneously or in an organised fashion (from Couchsurfing volunteering ad hoc camps to city trips and festivals). Then I turned my focus towards educating myself, I obtained PhD in Psychology. Thereafter, I wanted to do something purposeful in my life post-PhD but not in academic environment. I have been trying various jobs to see how they intertwine with my dreams and life goals. Ultimately, I returned closer to healthcare and decided to commit to life science field of drug and pharma research as data scientist. This is my current passion.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I used to travel often but I do that much less at the moment. I feel Couchsurfing changed a lot in the past years and became much less accessible platform for a lot of people. That said, I am always eager to meet any travellers who visit England, Berkshire and around. I am also occasionally in Prague. Hopefully, I might be able to dust off my travel plans and go somewhere where I could use Couchsurfing once more. The last time I stayed with someone was in 2018 despite both hosting and surfing before quite frequently. At the moment, I am here for sense of nostalgia, and hope that I will be able to use this platform once more as we have returned to some pre-pandemic state of matters.

Interests

I am data scientist, psychologist, researcher, and life-long learner. I think learning is really important for me so I want to continue to do this as long as feasibly possible. I also play guitar, tennis, and cycle a good amount. I am currently learning French, and I am trying to re-learn reading books out of joy. I also like playing various boardgames from some rather easy titles to more complex and nerdy ones.

• culture
• books
• dining
• cooking
• running
• meditation
• reading
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• surfing
• soccer
• history
• psychology
• social work
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

You can check what kind of music I listen to here: http://www.last.fm/user/godfraidh although this might be a bit dated now.

As I said, I am trying to re-learn reading books out of joy. In other words, reading just for fun. My favourite genres have always been fantasy and science fiction. Over my PhD I started reading in sort of instrumental fashion and I gone through lot of science books, articles, and such. However, I am currently re-thinking my approach to reading.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Climbed a mountain that was just over 5k. While it was cool I made sure to swear and complain a lot on the way up.

Teach, Learn, Share

Sharing food.
Sharing experiences.
Teaching you Czech.
To some people I tell fairy tales but I haven't done that in a while.
I used to write poetry but stopped after concluding it is of little artistic value - trust me it was really bad.
Now I am trying to focus on reading, learning, guitar, and science. That is quite a lot anyway.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Czech language and history, lot of other things.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Moldova, Nicaragua, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Czech Republic, England

• 

•