CURRENT MISSION

to forego all missions

ABOUT ME

I finished school at 18 and didn't feel like studying, so i earned some money and went on a trip around Europe. I did this a few times and then once I had enough money I booked a flight to New Zealand and was gone for three years. I saw large chunks of South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand (and little bits of the US). After a while I started to miss steady relationships and at least shallowly grown roots so I went home. After two months I got bored and frustrated and then moved to Berlin where I've spent the last five years, learning German, training to be a carpenter, enjoying the pleasures of a settled life and good friends. My carpentry training comes to an end this summer, I've just bought a car and I'm ready to hit the road again!

PHILOSOPHY
"so long and take it easy, for if you start taking things seriously, it'll be the end of you"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I started out a hitch hiking surfer, only taking but meeting great people along the way and falling in love with the idea of couchsurfing. Since my time in Berlin we've had countless surfers and had great days/nights/weekends/even months with our surfers.

Now I'm hitting the road again and hoping to see the other side of couchsurfing once more!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I´ve surfed a good number of times in my travels and met many great and generous people. Our surfers here have been great too, some have stayed and become very good friends and part of our Berlin family.

Interests

Stories!!! I love reading them, listening to them, watching them, writing them. I read as much as I can, I listen to music endlessly, and I spend hours in front of my laptop tip-tapping away and teasing out tales. I also enjoy cooking, and building things (with wood), cycling, swimming, sleeping, going to lakes, climbing trees, kayaking......

• animals
• writing
• poetry
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• running
• partying
• reading
• traveling
• cars
• socializing
• music
• drums
• spoken word
• swimming
• volunteering

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to all kinds of music and I listen to a lot. I love reading and I enjoy watching films. I used to have a huge long list of books, bands, films on here but I decided to narrow it down...

Some of my longstanding favourites are: The National, Velvet Underground, Modest Mouse, Leonard Cohen, Radiohead, The Strokes, Dinah Washington, Chet Baker and Neil Young

There's been a few films recently that I really enjoyed, such as Frank and Calvary. Some of my favourite films that I've seen multiple times include: In The Loop, A Prophet, Layer Cake, Into The Wild, Annie Hall, In Bruges, Leaving Las Vegas, Lars and the Real Girl, The Big Lebowski and The "Before" Trilogy.

My favourite author is Roberto Bolano. It used to be F Scott Fitzgerald. I love anything written by them. I read Douglas Adams annually because it's good for the soul. I've read On The Road more times than any other book (after Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy). Michael Chabon has fantastic style. As does (did) Hunter S Thompson. I also admired Blood Meridian, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, The Quiet American, Lolita, Never Let Me Go and Hardboiled Wonderland and the End Of The Universe.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The two blockbuster highlights were a 1500km helicopter hitch across the Australian outback and a volunteering project in New Zealand with dolphins and orcas.

But my highlight would be a smaller quieter moment. I did a lot of hitching and sleeping on the side of the road during my travels and I remember one particular hitch from Sydney to Melbourne, leaving late and riding out to the outskirts by train deeper and deeper into the ugliest blackest wettest storm. My mood sunk and the last place I wanted to be was the side of the road. The train took me just ahead of the storm but I knew it was headed my way. I stuck out my thumb, restless and impatient, eager to be picked up quickly. I didn´t have to wait too long before a girl picked me up and drove me 60km or so, but from there it was tough, and a few scattered rides got me nowhere. Night and storm blackened the sky above me. My last ride dropped me under a bridge with the rain already coming down hard, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling. I stood there trying to hitch but knowing no one would take me. No one picks up ragged strangers in the night. So I sat there, Radiohead - Codex playing on my ipod, bringing a spooky dreamy feeling to the stream of lights and the rush of cars and trucks. I decided to sleep there until the morning and carry on hitching then. Between the two directions on the highway, under the bridge, was a sliver of grass. I pitched my tent there and "slept" the night, trucks thundering past either side of me. I should have been down. But I wasn´t. I felt unbeatable.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you to build things. I'm a good swimmer, always happy to show people who want to learn how to swim properly. I can show you Berlin. I can show music you've never heard before but will fall in love with. I can recommend a decent book.

What I Can Share with Hosts

a story or two and a nice meal

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, United States

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