Hey Couchsurfers! How to shortly introduce myself so that you guys get to know me? Well, I'll start with what I do at the moment - which is basically Europe and the European Union. So if that is no downturn for you, keep reading. I am 22, half Sri Lankan and half German and come originally from a small town just beside Köln/Cologne in Germany. After I left school, life has brought me to the beautiful and cozy Maastricht near the Belgian border, in the south of the Netherlands. Here, I study European Studies, which is all about examining Europe and the EU from various disciplines and on multiple levels. Besides uni, I am busy with a side-job and my biggest hobby - debating. Having started it only in 2017, I now could not live without it anymore. I just really enjoy discussing things with other people, and when it's politics, even better. And yes, when I'm tired of debating (or better said too exhausted to build arguments anymore) I go to the art house cinema or drink wine, read, learn languages and hang out with people.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Traveling countries can be (and is mostly) great fun. Thanks to cheap flights, almost everyone of us can afford to go to another country today. But what do we expect from traveling? Many people get a travel guide book, circle some places in it they would like to see, go to these places and go back to their anonymous, big hotel in the evening to skype their family and tell them about the day, after having had a meal out in a restaurant from Tripadvisor. This way, I think you can get a good impression of a town.
But is this what we really expect from a journey? Why do we travel? Real traveling means experiencing for me. Experiencing architecture, tastes, sound, landscape, colours. And most important - experiencing the local people. They are better than any book, they are more interesting than any tourist-restaurant. They know what's good in the place they life, what is exciting. And that's why I joined Couchsurfing - because I believe in people like us who take time to show others their town and home, and I believe that we can bring people together.

Interests

• bbq
• politics
• traveling
• cinema
• gym
• debating
• european union

Music, Movies, and Books

I hear a lot of artists from various genres, and it would be a lot of work to enumerate them all on this page. At the moment, I really like british group The xx and some other artists like Stereoclip and Joris Voorn. My preferences change sometimes however. As long as it's not absolute hard rock, I'm happy to hear anything!

One of the latest books I enjoyed to read was 'Return to Reims' by French sociologist Didier Eribon. Coming from a poor workers family and being interested in philosophy and literature very early in his life, Eribon moved to Paris and made his own experiences there. He also tries to answer the question why so many French workers vote for the Front National today, as they have voted for left parties just some decades ago and he reflects on the influence his social surrounding in his childhood and youth had on him and how it maybe shaped him.

There are many more books, but I guess it's best to tell you in person! :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

As I'm a very new Couchsurfer, I don't have any experiences from couchsurfing yet to tell you. Thinking about the thought behind it, which is about community, coming together, internationality and exploring places, however a big experience comes into my mind which shaped my life enormously . From the age of 14 till about 20, I went to the small community of Taizé in France (Burgundy) annually. Taizé is a village on a hill, where a group of monks have founded a community in the 1960's, dedicated to live a life in simplicity and faith. Taizé is however not a normal monastery, as we would imagine it, with big walls and a chapel. The brothers of Taizé, coming from places all over the world, invite thousands of teenagers and young adults every year to spend a week with them, full of workshops, songs, games and prayer. The community is open also to atheists and humans who are not Christians. Over the years, I met many people who made a lasting impact on me on that hill and I cannot wait to be free to go back. It's definitely the place where I saw and learned for the first time that everyone gains from sharing and thinking beyond borders.

What I Can Share with Hosts

So, what can you expect when you host me? I'm a very talkative person, talking to you with a slight German accent (I study in English, so it gets better slowly) and what I would like to share with you is my enthusiasm for Europe. Although not being a EU-freak and also having a healthy critical opinion of the EU, I believe that it is the project with the most impact in my generation and I would like to discuss with you, what you think about it and if you feel like a European in any way. Also, I can teach you some German or practice your German with you, and we can have a Weißbier. If you're not up for alcohol, I can bring some loose teas (they are not German, sorry), as I have many of those and enjoy to drink many different sorts. Also, I will bring a good sense of humor with me!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Netherlands