CURRENT MISSION

connect people

ABOUT ME

We're two biologists working at Penn State University. Rahel is a postdoc in marine biology, Marcel is an assistant professor in biology. We just moved here (in July 2010) and after finally buying a house, we're back on CS. Before PA, we lived in the SF Bay Area (California) where we worked for two years. Before that, we traveled for 10 months in Australia, NZ, Southeast Asia and India. Originally, we're from Switzerland.

PHILOSOPHY

Rahel: A fish is the truth!
Marcel: Millions long for immortality who don't know what to do on a rainy afternoon (Susan Ertz)

When it comes to personal philosophy, we're both secular thinkers who enjoy life with everything it has to offer (especially nature).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Offer couch & organize get-togethers

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Hosted lots of people, organize weekly CS get-togethers. Couchsurfed in San Jose shortly before we moved there, and the people we met there are now dear friends.

Interests

Both: Anything regarding nature, science, good food and good wine
Rahel: The ocean and everything that's in it, dancing flamenco, growing plants.

Marcel: science, politics, history, philosophy, technology, music, art.

• fish
• arts
• dancing
• flamenco
• dining
• wine
• running
• politics
• technology
• traveling
• music
• fishing
• scuba diving
• biology
• teaching
• history
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

Rahel: I love many kinds of Jazz, Rock and Classical, but surely Flamenco always drives my heart crazy and makes me take a deep breath and want to move... When I don't feel like reading a book about science then it will be either written by a southamerican writer like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende etc. or something like "kafka on the shore" or "the shadow of the wind" - oh, and let me not forget Herman Hesse and Simone de Beauvoir! My favourite movie is "Dead Man".

Marcel: These are the sections you would usually find me at in the bookstore: Science, Philosophy, Politics, History. Music: lots of good bands as they come and go. Sting is my all time favourite, and David Bowie. Movies: Anything that touches me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Marcel: Getting married in Las Vegas. Moving to the US. Traveling Austral/Asia during 10 months. Selling 800 paintings. Opening a show for Lenny Kravitz.

Rahel: Most amazing thing seen: Patagonia and "the end of the world". Most amazing thing done: marrying Sala ;)

Teach, Learn, Share

Rahel: I love to teach everything I like doing myself, wether it is about biology, dancing, being in nature, diving, no matter... and there are still heaps of things to learn, I'm sure!! And well sharing: is there anything more beautiful than that anyway?

Marcel: I'd love to share anything I know, but if you ask about special knowledge, I could probably help you answering those burning questions about evolution ;-) Oh, and I know how to create and run a website (see for example my latest project onethousandpaintings.com)

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