Hi, Nice to meet you here! I am Wilma, 54 years old,with 2 feet in the clay I just finished my Bachelors Theology/Science of the religions at Free University in Amsterdam. So I am a senior and a young starter in one, exploring life by traveling and meeting people. And learning by studying, which is also a journey. I am curious to observe and learn from different perspectives, which makes life very rich. People who know me better say I am a bridgebuilder and open minded. So I like traveling, meeting other people. I have a special interest in interreligious dialogue and cultural diversity.

At this moment I am standing with one leg in society as a teacher, working at Language school Utrecht. I am very happy to help young kids, many of them traumatized by war, to make a new start in the Netherlands. With my other leg I am working incidentally as a pastor in church. I love to lead sermons and connect people with old texts which are in essence so closed to daily life now.

My flat is 15 minutes by bike from Utrecht and 5 minutes to have a hike in the woods. With this combination: close to nature and culture I found a perfect place for people like me. Loving the balance between social and contemplative life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Because I think hospitality is very important, at the one moment being guest, at the other moment hosting people. My cosy appartment is basic with 2 or 3 good beds and a big rooftop terrace is at the border of Utrecht. My street has old houses from the 19 and 20th century. There are different vintage shops and cosy restaurants.

Because I think life is too expensive, why we have to pay for basis things like hospitality? Life is for sharing.

Interests

After a dynamic family life my kids are living most of the time on their own, sometimes on 'the nest'. I like their stories, As a student last years my life was not boring, I am open for new perspectives, not just learning from the curriculum at university, Besides that I learn much from the people I meet on traveling. I 've hosted many guests who became friends. They are from everywhere: Africa, Israel, India, Poland, Belgium, Switserland....

I love hiking along the coast and in the mountains....which are too far away from the Netherlands. I am interested in cultural and religious diversity, at this moment finding out more about the diversity in world christianity.....to discuss the dominant vision of western european christians. For many years I was involved in an academic program: Bridging gaps. There I was part of an international group of young (er than I am) students from the very corners of the world. Reading texts from different perspectives and sharing life was amazing. Thanks to BG I have many friends from all over the world, inviting me to visit them. So, at this very moment I want to visit my friend Hanneke. she is moving from South Africa to Inverness for a new job in Scotland.

Music, Movies, and Books

I am a music lover who loves many different styles, depending on mood or moment. So at saturdaymornings you can expect Putomayo French music, or lazy jazz. Norah Jones or Leonard Cohen. I love Bob Dylan, U2, Alan Parsons......especially 'Old and wise' and 'Silence and I'. Fleetwood mac at sunday evenings, Bach and Vivaldi on weekdays, Other moments: Philip Glass, Lavinia Meijer, Carel Kraayenhof, And do'nt forget Klezmer: the Amsterdam Klezmer band

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiking with my daughter Marlise to Paris. My bachelor thesis brought me in 2015 and 2018 for a long stay in Nazareth, an Arab city in Israel. Living with the locals was a great experience of sharing life. I love hiking long distant paths, at this moment the Coast path along the Dutch coast. My journey to California, hiking in the Joshua Tree park and Anza Borego desert, by train with the Pacific Coastline, so close to the ocean: I saw dolpins jumping from a few hundred metres from my window. I gazed in the St Andreas Fault, 1 day before the earthquake in Chile....3000 miles away. The day after at the whole west coast there were tsumamis and storms...this was a very existential moment for me.

Countries I’ve Visited

Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Palestine, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States