Kia Ora! I'm Ben, I left New Zealand just over a year ago to see the world and get a bit of life experience! New Zealand is a paradise but it's a long way from the rest of the world and I'd been itching a bit to leave.

That decision has led to a tonne of new experiences and opportunities and I found a job that allowed me to see a lot of Europe. I've met some amazing, generous people as well which has been the best part.

Now, I spend a lot of time in Warsaw, Poland working and I'll be doing quite a bit of travel over Summer 2018. I've previously worked in education, marketing and recently for a couple of startups in Europe! I'm a people person so I'm drawn to customer and business development.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I always liked meeting new people and helping out foreigners when I lived in New Zealand. We used to get a lot of people crashing in our flat as we had lots of room. And we mainly met them through the University groups.

I'd love to try and do a bit of the same this Summer, meet new people and receive some local knowledge. Last Summer I was staying in hostels but I think it would be cool to try this.

Interests

• hiking
• sports
• history
• food
• exploring

Music, Movies, and Books

All kinds, Jazz, hip-hop, r&b, soul, anything I can dance to as well. Tame Impala, Beatles, Kendrick, Stevie Wonder...

Favourite movies include Boyhood, Before Sunrise, Into The Wils

I read a lot of fiction mostly, and some non-fiction. Any story with a good adventure.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Not sure about amazing, but probably the thing I'm most proud of in the last year or so is I bought a one-way ticket from New Zealand to Europe (via Thailand) with just a couple of bags, not knowing at all where I'd end up.

A few months in I joined a startup in Amsterdam and was selected by the team to move to Warsaw and participate in a 3-month development program which included mentoring and workshops about growing a business, public speaking and other things.

Teach, Learn, Share

Would love to learn some music, share music

Can teach some cooking perhaps. I'm not amazing but I do enjoy cooking a lot.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share life about New Zealand, good conversation, a good sports buddy as well.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Cook Islands, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland