Hi there, I'm Michael, born and grown to an acceptable size in "Hessian Siberia" (Northern part of Hessen, Germany). In the past 10 years I switched the place where I stayed so often that the concept of home somehow extended to everywhere with friendly people and my toothbrush.
I worked as an Intern in Milan, Italy and Beijing, China, later full time in Gibraltar and Hamburg and always loved trying to master foreign languages - with mixed results to be honest.
Let me know if you want to know more!

Hello, I am Verena, born and grown to an average size in "Bavarian Italy" (actually in Augsburg, which is also called the most northern city of Italy, but acutally it is the Swabian capital of Bavaria). In the past 10 years I travelled and worked in so many different countries that I value the concept of "feeling home and cozy" with nice people, laughter and good food (maybe a glass of red wine as well).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Michael: I originally joined mainly because of my journey around the globe in 2015. And, obviously travelling for me is only a real fulfilment when you actually get in touch with the people and not just the sights.
I am very annoyed be the sheer concept of conflict and like to think that every issue has a solution waiting to be found.

Verena: Well, as Michael and I share our home, we decided to share his profile as well. :)

Interests

Michael: Apart from the "usual": learning languages and experiencing new cultures, I do enjoy cooking for me and my friends. I play the piano to relax and just discovered drawing, however no amazing results to be shown yet. In September '17 I started with dancing Westcoast Swing which proved to become one of the best decisions in my recent past!
And there is this thing I did for ten years in my youth: Go-Kart!

Verena: I am a dancer for the most part of my life and I grew up with Meditation and Yoga as well. I am a keen listener and like to get to know people and their perspectives. I love animals (bunnies!), coffee and creative writing ... or just writing. :)

• writing
• dancing
• vegetarian
• yoga
• traveling
• music
• piano
• foreign languages
• west coast swing
• campervan

Music, Movies, and Books

Michael: I like to discover music from different genres. Mostly I somehow get cought with rock quite some time, however depending on the mood I do like some classical music (especially Beethoven), Electro, Trip-Hop or Post-Rock. Movies? All of them, please! I would love to say that I read often, but sadly that isn't the case recently. I will get that back in order soon though :)

Verena: I like jazz and swing from Ella Fitzgerald and Katie Melua to Tracy Champann. I don't think there is a specific genre to my taste of music though and if there would be a name for it, it would probably be "earthy , acoustic with a touch of electronic and catchy rythm"^^

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Michael: Got lost in Beijing on purpose. (there is probably something more amazing, but that just came to mind)

Verena: meditating in a shala in the indian jungle, with a beautiful view over the ocean and monkeys running all over the ceiling ("badong badong badong ...")

What I Can Share with Hosts

Michael: Some austrian diches (half my family is from Tyrol), insights and thoughts about linguistic nuances, teaching you basic Westcoast Swing (an absolutely great dance) and an entertaining game of chess :)

Verena: A warm cup of chai tea, chats and laughter, going to yoga and dance classes or strolling through book stores together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macao, Malaysia, Monaco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, England, Germany, Gibraltar