“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness” is a famous quote by Mark Twain, which emphasizes the importance of travel to those who seek an open mind. This type of thinking is what motivates me to want to understand the world, different cultures and generally life.

About me, I am a 19-year-old student who has been very lucky in terms of travelling and experiencing different cultures. My passion for different cultures and internationality began in my first years, specifically at the age of 6. I joined and eventually graduated from an international school where there were 25 different nationalities spread out over 110 people. This inspired me to begin with small one-week service projects at the age of 14. I began in Macedonia in 2010 where I built a playground at a school, which didn’t have the resources to provide a safe ground for their students’ leisure. In 2011, I did the same thing with an even less fortunate school in Bulgaria. Summer 2011 though, was where my passion for travelling really grew into a “healthy” addiction. This is where I did my first month long service project to Tanzania with 18 other students. We did all sorts of deeds, which ranged from working at an orphanage, spending time with HIV/AIDS affected children and teaching them to swim, to constructing and painting schools and donating clean needles to hospitals. Unfortunately I got traces of malaria so I had to spend my last four days of the trip in a hospital. When most people would be demotivated and want to stay home after a near death experience, getting malaria only stimulated me to want to go back and see what I had missed in those days. This is why I singlehandedly organized my second trip to Tanzania in the summer of 2012. This time I decided to do social work, which was a month and a half of studying micro-finance and working one on one with the local people of Ifakara to help them create micro-businesses and to help them escape the poverty cycle. I also had the chance to spend a week with a friend (Dr. OleKune) I had made in 2011. He was a Maasai leader of the Kumbi na Choka tribe in the north of Tanzania. He was also the only eye doctor in a range of 850,000 people. Living with people in conditions, which in the west would be considered inhumane, really opened my eyes to how lucky of a person I was. Not only because I was living in a nice bed with a nice house but also because I was lucky enough to travel there and realize it.
After this trip to Tanzania I already began planning my next trip. I spent a summer working in a Mexican restaurant as a co-chef so that next summer I could do my longest travel yet. China, Japan, Philippines and Mongolia. This was more of a life-challenge than a service trip. We set out, four of us, with the intention of visiting as many people and places as possible over 58 days by spending not more than 20€ a day. I’m happy to say that it was successful; we went to 32 different cities. Living in the cheapest places, which could be considered dumps and eating rice with ants in it showed me that I was maybe a Nomad, who would never have a place to call home. Though, the China trip showed me that a place isn’t what you call home but rather the people you are with are the ones who establish a home.

Warum ich bei Couchsurfing bin

I want to meet people who love to travel, people with aspirations to see the world.

Interessen

As a full time dreamer and part time traveller I also have a wide variety of interests. I can speak three languages fluently (English, German/Swiss German & Italian) and have three years of learning in French. Also, being Italian I have a C2 level in hand gestures so communicating with people should not be a problem.
On top of this, I can play 3 and a half instruments. I’ve been playing the saxophone for 12 years, the drums for 6 years, the guitar for 4 years and the ukulele for 6 months, which I just began to teach myself. Moreover, I am a certified lifeguard and I have extensive first aid training from both the Red Cross in Munich, Germany and the Italian lifeguard association in Milan. Furthermore, through my international schooling and playing rugby, basketball, volleyball, hockey and track & field, I was able to visit over 30 European countries for tournaments between schools, again increasing my hunger for travel and everything that comes with it.

• traveling
• socializing
• painting
• guitar
• drums
• cycling
• skiing
• basketball
• hockey
• rugby
• track and field
• volleyball
• swimming
• teaching
• languages
• medicine
• social work

Musik, Filme und Bücher

I love all kinds of movies, mainly the classics!
Music is reggae and Indie for me, though i do enjoy the occasional saxophone electronic chill and most important classic old school rock!

Eine tolle Erfahrung, die ich gemacht habe

Backpacked through China, Japan, Mongolia & the Philippines with just a carry-on hand luggage over 2 months.

Lehren, lernen, teilen

I am a certified saxophone, life guard and ski teacher, so if anyone is interested, let me know ;)

Was ich mit Gastgebern teilen kann

I can share laughter, smiles, and good conversations.
Also, I make the best Guacamole out there, good burritos and really awesome scrambled eggs.

Länder, die ich besucht habe

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Macedonia, Mongolia, Netherlands, Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Länder, in denen ich gelebt habe

Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland