Hello world :)

I'd describe myself as a Hippie-ish scientist, sunshine-lover, and synesthete. I'm calm and thoughtful, creative, sportive, explorative, why-asking, straightforward, open-minded, colourful, organised.

TRAVEL ME:
When traveling I enjoy getting lost in cities, walking for hours around neighborhoods, visiting local parks and nature, and of course trying all the delicious local food. I joined couchsurfing when living (and traveling) in Colombia in 2016 and I had two wonderful experiences. I didn't get to do much exploring in the last 5 years (COVID + doing a PhD...) and am just picking it up again. I'm curious about getting to know new people from different cultures and learning from them - about life, dreams, joys, traditions, ... - and I'm happy to share my experiences! I think for me travel is mostly about connecting with people. :)

BESIDES TRAVEL ME:
In my at-home life I work at university doing fundamental research. At the moment I'm at a crossroad, thinking about staying in academia or switching to industry, and/or switching fields, and currently fundamental neuroscience and psychedelic sciences sound quite intriguing. Besides sciencey thingys, I like my life to be active. This includes listening to way too many podcasts, going for hikes when it's sunny, and doing various sports (aerial hoop and hammock, pole, bouldering, and if there where more time I would like to add salsa or zouk, swimming, or pilates into the mix again). I'm generally a night person and every now and then I love to go dancing all night long (melodic techno, latin music, ...). I consider myself creative and an art-enthusiast. I enjoy to do small sewing-projects, play with colours and call it 'art', come up with 20 birthday present ideas, or built a minimalistic bed out of 5 beams. Contrasting that, I can also get a huge to of joy out of dissecting problems and finding solutions, and space-optimising and decluttering basically anything.

I love have an active life and am still most likely an introvert. Deeper conversations in smaller groups give me joy and energy, big parties of small-talk and not much to do can easily drain my energy. I enjoy conversations about life, life experiences and goals, philosophy, art, strange things from the internet, ... , especially when they come with a glass of wine or cup of tea!
I always aspired to have a life motto, the closest to finding one was 'choose growth, gain insight, create beauty'. What's yours? ;)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

If I visit a place I like to know how it's like to live there, and to connect with people who have an 'average Wednesday' in the place I'm taking holiday pictures at. I find it equally fascinating that my home city is a holiday destination for probably hundreds of people every single day.
I enjoy getting to know people and having real conversations with them, long or short, about life and all the living, the good, the bad, and the strange. I offer my own experiences, a curious mind, and an open heart!

As much as I enjoy having a conversation, going for a walk or hike, sitting in the sun, and sharing experiences, I'm also very aware that sometimes things get in the way and that at the moment you might not have time or energy for any of that. That's ok and I can also be fine on my own.
I'm not on couchsurfing because it's free but for the way of getting to know a place, and I know there's a cost for hosts (time, energy, money), so if there's something I can do/help you with please let me know! :)

Interests

• arts
• books
• design
• photography
• baking
• hiking
• science
• nature
• dance
• techno
• fruits
• poledance
• aerial hoop
• aerial hammock

What I Can Share with Hosts

- philosophical conversations about life and all the living, about science, podcasts, books, art
- company and ideas for any creative endeavors and almost any sporty activity (as long as it doesn't involve balls)

and some practical skills:
- home-cooked meals: simple and fast vegetarian recipes that only need 3-5 ingredients
- help and ideas if you need to reorganise/ declutter/ space-optimise anything; what is a chore to most brings much joy and relaxation to me :D
- simple active stretching exercises. I'm not a contortionist but follow flexibility classes since 3+ years. I'd be happy to share some of what keeps my body happy. No experience needed.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, Germany, Netherlands