Hi there, I'm Robbie!

I love this crazy rollercoaster called life with a passion and not just the ups, but also the downs, because they too have made me richer as a person. I also love getting to know other people, because it's always like discovering a whole new world, especially if you find people with whom you can kind of skip the whole smalltalk part and get to the really interesting stuff right away. Call me naive, but I still have a lot of faith in humanity and the power of love and empathy. Not because I'm hopelessly romantic, though, but because I have seen it in action so many times.

It took me a few detours to get there, but I am very happy that I am now doing something I am both passionate about and good at, namely studying literature. Apart from that I coorganise a student lecture series (in which students teach their fellow students) as well as the local TEDx conference. In my free time, I do a lot of sports (at the moment mostly canoeing, beach volleyball, running and swimming). On the weekends I like going to techno raves, occasionally, and I enjoy cooking and drinking and chatting with my flatmates and neighbours, but in between I also need some quiet time alone to read and think. I would love to spend more time in nature, walking through the woods or looking at the stars and simply marvelling at the sheer magnificence of the world - but, alas, I am much too often caught up in the business of everyday life in the city to do that. Over the past year or so I have embarked on a journey of spiritual development, something I have always had an affinity to, but which has now become much more essential to the way I live and see the world. If that resonates with you, i am sure we'd get along very well!

My favourite mode of travelling is hitchhiking, because it gives me that ultimate feeling of freedom and excitement, as I never know who I'm going to meet and how I'll get to where I want to go. But even if I'm not hitchhiking I prefer the slower forms of travel. I haven't taken a plane in a number of years and while it usually takes me longer to get to my destination because of that, I get to actually experience the whole way as a true journey.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like to help people out on their trips and I love meeting local people when travelling myself!

When hosting I try to really have time for my guests and not just provide them with a bed. I also like hosting couples even if I have limited space, because I know from experience that it can be difficult for couples to find a place to stay via CS.

I have a lot more experience with hosting and surfing than this profile shows, because I used to be a member of hospitality club rather than CS for many years. I have also hosted plenty of people as a member of AEGEE (The European Students' Forum).

Interests

• culture
• literature
• environment
• cooking
• reading
• sports
• history
• languages
• philosophy
• hitchhiking
• volunteering
• nature
• spirituality
• people
• parties
• theatre
• techno
• learning
• sexuality
• puns

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen to a wide range of different kinds of music - from funk via house and techno, old-school hip-hop and rock to classical music... Currently I am particularly fond of Tash Sultana, LP and Einmusik.

I love movies and I have a loooooooooooong watchlist on IMDB. All-time favourites are Fight Club, Cabaret and The Silence of the Lambs.

When it comes to books, I have to read a lot of them for my studies, but I also love reading for fun and I wish I had more time for it. Literature opens windows into other people's minds and into entire new worlds. I like dystopian novels and modernist writers in particular, but my favourite book of all-time is still Le petit prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. If you're going to only ever read one book, let it be this one.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

swimming in the bioluminescent ocean at night, creating waves of light all around me

Teach, Learn, Share

Always ready to teach what I know and learn what I don't know.

What I Can Share with Hosts

my enthusiasm for life, cooking, stories, thoughts, smiles, laughs and drinks

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

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