CURRENT MISSION

Discovering new countries, cultures, people, everywhere on earth.

ABOUT ME

I'm not afraid of anything, and I want to go everywhere and do anything.

Let me explain; I can enjoy a walk at a Dutch island, I study Art History, I studied Chinese at Xiamen University for one summer, I am a babysitter, I adore any animal, I like crazy parties, I have endless energy, I participated in campaigns about the millennium goals and tolerance towards gay people, I study the bible at university but I also did a presentation about two museum buildings in New York, I like to swim, ski and climb, I talk to everybody, I enjoy weird dreams, I watch any kind of television show, I worked at a German flower shop to increase my German, I was in Toronto for eight months to study a semester at the University of Toronto and to do an internship, I collect books and hate that hobby at the same time because it is a lot of luggage.

Right now I live in Leiden, the Netherlands, and in February I will depart to live in Rome for a while for an internship at the Royal Dutch Institute in Rome.

So, I hope I showed you I am into everything. Can you surprise me with something?

PHILOSOPHY

If it doesn't kill me, it makes me stronger. (Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I enjoy open, educated and tolerant people that want to contribute to a better world, whether with something big or with small gestures such as hosting couchsurfers and being open about your life, thoughts and habits.

And, if I visit foreign countries myself I contact interesting people that are proud of where they live and want to share that with me.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I couchsurfed in:
-Uganda (not via CS): This was a very special experience. I have never felt so welcome in my life. I experienced the country very well because of these openminded, active hosts.
-China (not via CS): I couchsurfed at a Dutch student studying in Beijing for a year. He lived with Chinese people and that made it a very interesting experience. But, language barriers are difficult, but you'll get there.
-Canada: As a babysitter I sometimes stayed over at people's houses and I learned a lot about family life in Canada. It is amazing how big differences can be between western countries, I more or less expected Canada to be similar to Holland when it comes to raising children, food, sports etc., but living at a family for a while make you see differences. I really liked discussing these differences and thinking about solutions to problems many countries deal with.
-England (not via CS): My first CS experience with a high school exchange. It was a very, very English family and that's what I loved. A lovely grandmother lived in the house as well (very uncommon in Holland), I drank milktea there (I always drink black), debated about school uniforms, watched English movies and improved my English. I discovered how interesting it is to stay at people's houses and when I heard from CS I immediately applied for it.

Interests

Art, adventure, nature, photography, books, roller coasters, zoos, dancing, cultures that are new to me.

• animals
• arts
• books
• photography
• dancing
• dining
• partying
• drinking
• shopping
• flowers
• movies
• skiing
• sports
• swimming
• art history
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

Writers: Jan Wolkers, W.F. Hermans
Movies: Les choristes, as it is in heaven, Volver
Music: Patrick Wolf, Jurk

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went to Uganda for 3 weeks to experience how it is to live there. I visited schools, went to the embassy, medical clinics, orphan houses and I stayed at people's houses. It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: German, English, Dutch, Art History
Learn: any language!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Netherlands