I'm a 30-year-old Canadian living in Haarlem, working as a freelance musician (viola player).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've had a lot of fun getting involved in the CS community in Amsterdam, going to meetups and even learning Dutch with other CSers! I can't really host anyone right now, but hopefully in the future.

Couchsurfing is a great way to travel - you actually get to experience another culture and people instead of staying in your tourist bubble. You often end up experiencing things that are above and beyond what you would have done on your own.

Interests

Music - pretty much any and all kinds of music. I love to read, especially history and non-fiction. I love 'outdoorsy' stuff, like camping, canoeing, hiking. I haven't had much chance to do it in the last 6 years, but I used to spend at least 2 weeks camping every year. I've even slept in a hut made of snow in the middle of the winter in Canada.

• culture
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• canoeing
• camping
• rock climbing
• freelancing
• history
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Changes all the time. Rap, R&B, Pop, Rock, Jazz, and of course Classical - which I don't listen to that often in my spare time because that's work music ;)

Movies: All-time hands down favourite is Real Genius. If you have seen it and love it, we are immediate friends. I'm a big fan of comedy, both British and American (and occasionally Canadian, ha ha).

I read a lot. As long as it's interesting and well-written (or even if it's amusing and poorly-written) I will read it. If I walk into a bookstore to 'look' I always end up buying about 10 books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Snuck out of my hotel and away from my tour organizers, and saw the sunrise flag raising ceremony at Tianemen Square in Beijing.

A close second would be climbing in the Rocky Mountains above the frost line (ie higher than anything is able to grow). Not just the lack of oxygen up there, but the amazing view, almost like you're looking down on the entire world.

My latest adventure was glacier hiking in Iceland, amid the ash fallout of the big 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can just hang out and show you around the sights if you want. I can recommend place to see, tell you how to get cheap tickets to the Concertgebouw, take you to a brewery in a windmill :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories about Canada and the Netherlands, stories about music (yes, I went to band camp), all my random general knowledge I've picked up over the years.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, Russian Federation, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Netherlands

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