Hey, guys! My name is Melanie, I am from Germany and 19 years old. At the moment I am studying at Maastricht University (Netherlands) but would like to travel a little bit more. I live in an apartment-sharing community with four other incredible girls that also study here. Since I am a very open-minded person I am up to exploring and definitely going on adventures. I am also a very friendly and understanding person who you can talk to about pretty much any matter and come to with any problems.

I was born and grew up in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. I lived there with my three siblings till I was 18 years old. I moved to the Netherlands when I turned 19 years old and started University here. During my school career, I spent one year in Southern California to take in the American lifestyle, learn better English, get to know new people, and also to have a lot of fun. :)

Growing up I was always surrounded by people. Either my parents, grandparents, friends and most importantly my siblings. My siblings and I are all very close but all have very different personalities and thus are all unique in our own ways. They made me who I am today and I could not imagine life without them since we spent more or less every day of our lives together.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think that traveling should, next to the traveling part, be about meeting new people around the world, learning new languages and experiencing new cultures. I have also been traveling with my family and individually a few times before, but still, I want to experience more, meet more people, go further, and travel harder.

Interests

• dancing
• partying
• house parties
• flying
• traveling
• music
• piano
• backpacking
• skiing
• snowboarding
• wakeboarding
• swimming
• flute
• exploring
• water skiing
• clarinet
• orchestra

Music, Movies, and Books

I enjoy listening to R&B, Pop, Rock, Punk and from time to time also Metal or Classical music. Music has always been an important part in my life since my mother is a music teacher. I started playing the recorder when I was four years old but soon switched to different instruments.

I am absolutely addicted to different kinds of documentaries. Movies like the Harry Potter-Series, The Blind Side, Casablanca or other fantasy movies make it also to the top ranking of my favorite films.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I turned 17, my siblings and I swam across Lake Balaton in Hungary. Every year in the summer this big event takes place, for anybody to join. After a small medical examination, you get the O.K. from the staff and can attempt to swim 5200 meters from Révfülöp to Balatonboglár. The route across the lake is fenced off with boats so you know where you are going.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am pretty good at playing piano and can show you how to play or even play together.

I would love to learn your language or attempt to learn some words. I am not very talented but I definitively want to give it a try.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would love to share some stories, laughs and maybe cook together. We can also just hang out. :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Hungary, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Netherlands, United States