My name is Magdalena, but since I remember everyone calls me Mada. Currently living in Chile and planning the next great adventure.

I believe, that the journey of life leads through a constant growth, pursuit of happiness through a physical health and emotional balance, living in harmony with the world around us and constant devotion to exercising acts of kindness. I wish to encourage every beautiful stranger I meet never to give up on their dreams and never to be afraid of exercising their own version of happiness. I'm keen on mindfulness and leading a non-judgemental lifestyle, thus I tend to be very open to, from one side, all different kind of personalities and individuals, and from the other side, adventures and experiences that might enrich my life and my views on the world.

I'm extremely flexible and open-minded, I don't take anything for granted and constantly question the universal truths and put to the test all I believe in, as I recognize I've been wrong in the past. Nothing in the world is constant, therefore I devote every second of my life to learning and improving my understanding of its' motions, I would be thrilled if I could learn something from my guests or hosts.

Interests:
I love reading (mostly fantasy and psychology books), good music, good, fresh, delicious, healthy food (or any food in the end of the month), spontaneous people, coincidences, traveling (I mean duuh!), the YES kind of people, yoga, working out until I can't breathe, Couchsurfing, good coffee, fresh herbs, goats, inspiring evenings, wine, languages, beanies, inappropriate jokes, tea leaves, watermelons, Dobby, neolexia, stuffed vegetables and animals (the fluffy ones, not the ones on a plate... ), games, photography, vegan cuisine, cats and owls, snakes and ravens, creaky snow, crackling fire. And some other stuff I guess, still so much to discover! Valar Morghulis.

Above all, I enjoy enjoying my life and my oh-so short time on this planet, and I can't wait to make some lifelong-lasting memories, which YOU might be a part of!

Oh yeah, since you're here, yes, I'm vegan.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've spent the entire 2015 hosting CS-ers in my house in Brussels under this profile https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/mada.ochnio and it was the best thing I could have ever done. Together with my flatmates we've hosted more than 150 travellers, who inspired me to join the travelling community and try out the platform from the other side. It has been a wonderful experience, I've met amazing people during my travels in South America (including my better half!) and I believe I made great friends for life, all thanks to Couchsurfing! I love it!

Interests

• arts
• books
• photography
• coffee
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• crafts
• board games
• traveling
• music
• journalism
• languages
• psychology
• hitchhiking
• ukulele
• sustainability
• social justice
• craft beer
• harry potter
• healthy food
• healthy lifestyle
• goats
• vegan cooking

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: generally I can enjoy every kind of music, it depends on my mood, but generally: Devendra Banhart, Mumford and Sons, Cienfue, Little Jesus, Kings of Leon, Beirut, Foals, Asaf Avidan, Arctic Monkeys, Alt-J, The Mars Volta, Lona and Webber, Sigur Ros, Gorillaz, Flume, Manu Chao, Tame Impala, The Strokes, Bomba Estereo...

Books: Allende, Pilipiuk, Marquez, Tokarczuk, Martin, Smith, Remarque, Zafon + #alwayspotterhead...

Films: Almodovar, Tarantino, Iñárritu, Anderson, Kubrick, Burton, documentaries

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- went to Rio de Janeiro during Carnaval and didn't get mugged
- haven't spent a penny on accomodation during 8 months of travel
- hosted more than 150 couchsurfers in 6 months
- witnessed a genuine generosity from a street beggar
- saved someone's life
- survived 3 days in Peruvian mountain village without food/money/wifi
- hitch-hiked over 10,000 km in South America
- jumped from a plane (and didn’t throw up all over myself)
- road-tripped in the driest desert in the world (Atacama)
- went to gym and didn't write about it on Facebook

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you everything I know about:
- coffee
- belgian beer and chocolate
- vegan cuisine
- hitch-hiking
- responsible travelling
- English, French, Polish
- making wool mandalas
- how to play ukulele

I would love to learn:
- knitting
- proper hand stand
- your favourite vegan recipes
- local dances
- quite honestly anything you can teach!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I will be happy to clean your dishes, to cook for you, to write you a poem or a song, to take your cat to the vet, to play cards with your grandma, to sew up a hole in your sock, to make you the most delicious coffee you have ever drunk, to teach you how to play Cards Agains Humanity and definitely so much more! Try me

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Chile, Poland, United Kingdom