CURRENT MISSION

Surfing from couch to couch and positively energizing by expanding my horizon on trails with breathtaking tales of the wide wild world.

ABOUT ME

Sweet smiles, cinema and coffee can get all my love.
Hate is seldom on my list, but I do detest contempt.

Whatever the future brings, food for the soul, please.
Involve me in your smooth and tasty cuisine, mmm.
I'm hardly a drinker but I appreciate excellent drops of joy.
Among many, chocolate is of course a divine delight.

Friends ascribe me a heart in the right place and as far as I'm concerned, that's probably a good bases. Sometimes they call me Captain because of my past as an indoor soccer coach at uni.

There are many things to love about life. Like waking up without a care (rarely happens), looking at the sky, a smile from charming people, the feeling you get when eating while you are really hungry, the sound of a rain shower (especially at the beginning) on a tent, surfing in the setting sun, the smell of flowers and freshly mown grass, to sit on the banks of a river (with or without cheerful chats), to almost really die laughing, the gentle buzz of an atmospheric terrace in the centre of a terrific town, wisdom whispered softly to you in your ear ...

PHILOSOPHY

Life is short.
Live it.

Don't dream your life.
Live your dreams.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

To couch and to be couched peacefully.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Hosted me

Jeroen and Tanja in Haarlem (NLD)
Arjen in Burgum, Leeuwarden (NLD)
Jenny and Tino in Magdeburg (DEU)
Annet in Fichtenwalde, Beelitz (DEU)
Réka in Berlin (DEU)
Maria in Poznan (POL)
Vilija in Vilnius (LTU)
Tina in Copenhagen (DNK) x 3
Noelle in Brooklyn, New York (USA)
Kristine in Aarhus (DNK)
Annette, Karin and Kris in Oslo (NOR)
Katherine in Den Haag (NLD)
Sergio in Rio de Janeiro (BRA)
Gisele in Rio de Janeiro (BRA)
Agota in Aberdeen, Scotland (UK)
Corinne in Broadford, Isle of Skye (UK)
Michaela in Meerbusch, Düsseldorf (DEU)
Anne Marije in Amsterdam (NLD) •
Amrei, Timo & Jonas in Köln (DEU)

Surfed me

Mariya from Kaliningrad (RUS)
Kathryn from Melbourne (AUS)
Martina and Michaela from Prague (CZE)
Nicole form Perth (AUS)
Ary from Adolfo Gonzales Chaves (ARG)
Ine from Diest (BEL)
Coco from Beijing (CHN)
Michaela from Meerbusch, Düsseldorf (DEU)
Anne Marije from Amsterdam (NLD) •
Julia from Minsk (BLR)
Theresia from Salzburg (AUT)
Tamara from München (DEU)
Zamaneh from Rasht (IRN)
Soo Lee from Malakka (MYS)
Maria Mariana from Salvador da Bahia (BRA)
Kasia from Zielona Gora (POL)
Julia from Trier (DEU)
Marina and Monika from Zadar (HRV)
Ericka from Bogota (COL)
Tempo from Edmonton (CAN)

Interests

FLYING & LEARNING

Fine films, photography, hiking and trekking per bike.

Attending concerts and theatre or visiting museums and art expos also interest me very much and I really love to just cycle or walk around town. Perhaps we can enjoy a good meal afterwards or go out.

Sports: (indoor) soccer, running, tennis and swimming.

Surf's up whenever there's an occasion and I once tried yoga, which I might resume some day.

• arts
• photography
• concerts
• dining
• cooking
• chocolate
• wine
• red wine
• coffee
• yoga
• running
• coach
• meditation
• flying
• flowers
• movies
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• surfing
• sports
• soccer
• tennis
• swimming
• health
• learning

Music, Movies, and Books

It's always more pleasing to occasionally talk about this, but let's see what we can do ...

Anyway, a book is not judged by it's cover and you won't be judged by your books. However, maybe we can share some goodies. If you would like to know, I'm a fan of:

CLINCHING CINEMA

Recently loved: Ceasar Must Die (2012), Drive (2011), Melancholia (2011), Le gamin au vélo (2011), Midnight in Paris (2011) and Black Swan (2010).

Some favorites: Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922), It Happened One Night (1934), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Angel and the Badman (1947), Rear Window (1954), Le mépris (1963), Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), The Big Lebowski (1998), Any Way the Wind Blows (2003), Cidade de Deus (2002), La meglio gioventù (2003), El secreto de sus ojos (2009), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Io sono l'amore (2009) ...

Divine directors: Terrence Malick, Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Altman, Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Sergio Leone, Jean-Luc Godard, Lars von Trier, Nicolas Winding Refn, Werner Herzog, David Lynch, Emir Kusturica, Howard Hawks, Frank Capra, Billy Wilder, Charlie Chaplin, Robert J. Flaherty (film documentaries) ...

MIGHTY MUSIC

Adele, Arctic Monkeys, A Tribe Called Quest, Admiral Freebee, De La Soul, dEUS, Django Reinhardt, Leonard Cohen, Milow, Morrissey, Nick Cave, Nirvana, Oasis, Stereophonics, The Beatles, The Roots, The Smiths, Eddie Vedder, Wilson Pickett ...

LOVELY LITERATURE

The writings of Boudewijn Büch, David Bordwell (on film), Gerard Reve, Hannah Arendt, Tom Lanoye, Arnon Grunberg, Italo Calvino, Anaïs Nin ...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Gave up my job once, sold my car, went back to university and it was absolutely worthwhile.

Made a short film.

I have taught non-native speakers, including prisoners, the Dutch language.

Seen a quarter of the planet on a bicycle.

Teach, Learn, Share

Since my professional life is completely saturated with learning, you could only get taught by me if you really have to. Save yourself from torture and enjoy the daily university of life. ;-D

But seriously, one can learn a lot by the CS-praxis with an open mind.

Just do it!

What I Can Share with Hosts

A city. A kitchen. A moment. A smile. A good time.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium