CURRENT MISSION

To have 100 new friends by this time next year

ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Jo and I moved to Gent in April 2012. I'm originally from Tongeren and still go there some weekends to visit my parents.

I currently work from home as a freelance translator and copywriter (Dutch - English - Italian) and I also own and maintain three websites which earn me a bit of cash on the side.

My main hobbies are playing board games (I currently own about 100 games), playing the acoustic guitar and occasionally hosting a house concert, and playing on my pinball machine! So basically, playing with stuff ;-)

I'm looking for new friends all the time and I hope to meet many new and interesting people here!

PHILOSOPHY

I'm agnostic, but I do believe in karma, not in the religious way, but more as a lifestyle. The whole "don't do unto others what you don't want done to you" kind of thing.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Hosted people from France, Ukraine, Belarus, United States, ... All over the world and still adding countries to my list! Surfed in many countries as well and always had a pleasant time and wonderful experiences that I would have never had if it weren't for CS.

Interests

Computers and internet, pool billiards, playing the guitar and listening to music, mainly singer/songwriter, ambient, and hard rock.

I also host a number of board game nights each month, where me and groups of 3-4 other people get together to play board games (not Monopoly or anything like that! I'm talking about high quality board games! ;-))

If you are interested in joining one of the events, look up my group "Board Game Nights - Gent" on FB, which has over 850 members right now. We would be glad to have you over for some games and some beers!

• photography
• concerts
• beer
• board games
• billiards
• music
• guitar
• swimming
• freelancing
• languages
• language exchange
• mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: mainly singer songwriters like Gregory Alan Isakov, Dave Matthews, Ari Hest, Damien Rice, Amos Lee and many others. I also listen to ambient and post-rock a lot, like Helios, Goldmund, Sigur Ros and Balmorhea. Also hard rock and metal. I played rhythm guitar in a hard rock cover band myself for several years, now I almost exclusively play acoustic.

Movies: preferably action and thrillers.
Books: I mostly read non-fiction. I'm especially interested in motivational and personal development books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of the most beautiful experiences in my life was the summer of 2008, when I visited Tuscany. The sight of the sun setting over the Tuscan hills from a private swimming pool, is something I will never forget.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a translator by profession (Dutch - English - Italian), so I'm licensed to help people out who are trying to improve on their Dutch or English. I could use a little help on Italian myself if anyone is interested in a "language exchange" ;-)

I also play the guitar so if you're interested in that, I could teach you a few chords! Or maybe I could show you how to solve a Rubik's cube :-p

What I Can Share with Hosts

I consider myself to be someone who has lots of different hobbies and interests, and a lot of stories to tell. I make new friends easily and can talk about and relate to most topics. In return for hosting me you will also receive a Belgian gift, and I will help wherever I can in the house (for example, doing the dishes or going to the supermarket for you). I'm a calm and quiet person who cleans up after himself and doesn't smoke.

Countries I’ve Visited

Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium