Dear you, my name is Sterre or Estrella or Stella or Bintang or anything else that translates to 'star'. I am a 24-year-old student from The Netherlands. I am currently finishing my third year of studying towards becoming an International Primary school teacher. And though I'll be a teacher by the end of this year I am currently considering changing directions and going to culinary school afterwards. A passion foor the culinary world was embedded inside of me from a very young age. And the kitchen is pretty much my therapists office, the ingredients the therapist. (Not that I talk to them, promise, I am not that crazy).

Before going to uni, at the age of 17, I took a gap year and traveled through South-East Asia. Working as a teacher in schools and orphanages in several countries led me to the choice of becoming a teacher. But, like I said before, teaching is not my only passion. Being raised in a family with a love for art and theatre, I did a year in art school and when I am not focused on university, I write. I write poems and short stories, letters, cards and possibly soon, I'll write a book. And in-between, I cook and I bake. I have been passionate about both since I was young. Baking cakes, pies, bread, cookies and anything else. Or testing out a new recipe from a foreign cuisine. I am currently taking Indian cooking classes from a dear friend who is teaching me the ins and outs about making curries, chapati, and chutney.
And besides all of that I practice yoga, enjoy reading, taking care of plant and visiting the goats in the park near my house. And since living in Norway I have been slowly discovering my love for the outdoors.

Also... How do you describe yourself to people you don't know? What would they want to know?
I am a lover of simple things; an early morning sunrise and the feeling of opening a new book, the smell of lavender and seeing plants grow, the sound of rain on a tent and the feel of good quality paper.
At the same time I am a dreamer. I am loving, kind, empathic, open, calm and curious. I have the tendency to make people feel at ease, even when I don't know them. And I have barely ever come across a person I couldn't get along with. Because I care for people and I enjoy getting to know everyone I come across; I have met some of my closest friends in the most odd places but those are stories to be shared over a cup of tea.

Что привело меня на Couchsurfing

As I am doing a course in international education, I am required to travel a lot for university. I just left Belgium after an internship at the international school of Ghent for a couple months. And currently living in Oslo for a semester in outdoor education at Oslo's metropolitan university. All of that before heading to India for my last internship and to write my bachelors thesis.
And though I enjoy traveling and getting to know new places, I am not a globetrotter or backpacker. Instead of seeing many places in a short amount of time, I rather stay in a certain place for a while and emerge myself into the culture. And I think couch surfing is a great way to see a culture and a country through the eyes of people who know it by heart. And I think that everyone has a story to tell that the rest of us can learn from. So I am on a quest to collect those stories. Maybe one day I'll bundle them in a book.

Интересы

• photography
• cooking
• yoga
• reading
• traveling
• volunteer work
• plants
• goats
• meditaion
• writing poetry

Музыка, кино и книги

Music: Norah Jones, Neil Young, Janice Ian, Jacqueline Goveart
Books: Haruki Murakami, Griet op de Beeck, Sally Rooney
Movies: Lion, The lobster, The magic of belle isle, The collateral beauty, Harry Potter (all of them), P.S. I love you, The peanut butter falcon,
Series: Daughters of destiny, The end of the f***ng world, How to get away with murder, Broadcurch

Классная вещь, которую я сделал(-а)

I decided to go on a 6-month trip through South East Asia at age 17.

Учу, учусь, делюсь опытом и информацией

I can teach you how to:
- Bake the best carrot cake in the world
- Fold a crane (because that's a skill you really need in life)
- Pronounce some of my favorite words in Dutch

Где я побывал(-а)

Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Где я жил(-а)

Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sri Lanka, Thailand