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.

Why I’m on 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.

Interests

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

Music, Movies, and Books

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

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

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

Teach, Learn, Share

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

Countries I’ve Visited

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

Countries I’ve Lived In

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