Am I a white walker?

Winter is upon us, it's not going anywhere and it is my new normal ... 😱

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

This has been a long, fun ride. It all started in Mallorca, Spain, where I hosted and partied with tons of people. After that, and with lots of great references, I started surfing other people's couches. The experiences were mixed, but the balance is positive because along the road I had some of my best travel experiences. So, despite a few bitter experiences, I still think people can be really nice and oftentimes trusting others can be very rewarding.

I don't love how CS works nowadays, yet I'm still here, so keep the good times rollin'.

NOTE:

I have already donated to CS and I chose not to get verified... I didn't see the point.

Interessen

I have a PhD in applied Economics, yet only very recently have I really started feeling worthy of that degree.

I think it is a fascinating time to be an economist, considering the recent focus on situations where rationality is limited, as well as the need for regulation and market design where market failures emerge.

Right now I am enjoying the challenge of cardio classes at the gym. I had never experienced the joy of doing cardio just for the sake of it... I mean, sports should be fun, right? not like jogging (how can people run marathons? ...I still don't get it)

I also enjoy my rather unusual selection of music and films. I love urban art and I love walking around big cities to observe its streets and architecture and take a peek at its infinite number of sub-worlds and curious details. Ever since I read Gombrich's Story of Art I enjoy visiting the big museums with a better understanding of the contributions of the big artists. Overall, I am usually looking for artsy stuff that feels fresh and new.

...and I love cooking!

Musik, Filme und Bücher

Music:
Suicide, Fever Ray, The Knife, Pantera, Sleaford Mods, Bat for Lashes, Philip Glass, Death Grips, Falkenbach, Fleet Foxes, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Bomba Estereo, The Gaslamp Killer, Fat Freddy's Drop, Flashbulb, Emperor, Gary Numan...

Movies:
some all time favorites: Wild at Heart, Pina, Santa Sangre, This is Spinal Tap, Up in Smoke, Neon Demon, Hunt for the Wilder People, Jaco (the story of Jaco Pastorius), The Salt of the Earth, Dub Echoes, The Birth of Big Air, Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, Hair High, Latcho Drom, They Live!, White Nights, John Cage a Journey through Sound, Juan of the Dead, Tales of the Rat Fink, Peaches does Herself... I also loved Death Note and I'm a huge fan of The Office, Trailer Park Boys, Regular Show and Adventure Time. Oh and I just watched Flight of the Concords: hilarious.

Books:
Lately I've read and loved "Who Gets What - and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design", "The History of Architecture: Iconic Buildings throughout the ages", "The Birth of Plenty", "Why Countries Fail" and "From Animals into Gods: a Brief History of Human Kind". I also liked Jordan Peterson's book.
Some of my favorites: The Elegant Universe, The Story of Art, The Science of Good and Evil, Las Trampas de la Fé, La Ciudad Antigua, Crime and Punishment, Atlas Shrugged, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, all history books by Asimov, Rayuela, El Quijote de La Mancha, Dorian Gray, etc....

Some people I really admire are Khaneman and Tversky, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Michael Shermer, Richard Dawkins, Ryszard Kapuszinski, Sebastiao Salgado and Wim Wenders.

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Vardzia caves in Georgia, road trip around Iceland, snorkeling in the lava tunnels and Bartolomé in Galápagos, the Northern Lights, Macchu Picchu, Petra, Mariposa Monarca Sanctuary, Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, gorilla tracking in the Bwindi impenetrable forest, swimming with whale sharks, Egypt, diving in Sipadan/Mabul/Kapalai (Indonesia), boat trip on the Kinabatangan river (Malaysian Borneo), staying in traditional Japanese houses, Buenos Aires street art, watching "Volcan Fuego" erupt!

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I can either teach you how to make great gazpacho and salmorejo or even better, I dare you to prepare one that is better than mine.

If you're up for it, I can also prepare my great tandoori chicken, green thai curry, bacalao pil-pil, salsa romesco, bacalhau con natas, an amazing eggplant recipe from Afghanistan, etc... Not much Mexican cuisine in my repertoire, though.

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

Food, drinks, ...

...memes and viral youtube videos :P! You're more than welcome to share yours as well.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Mexico, Spain

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