I am working for the University of Hawaii as a researcher in the field of Astroparticlephysics. Since the experiments in this field are mostly stemmed by large international collaborations, I travel around a lot and had the possibility to live in different countries.
Though doing a PhD was tough sometimes the possibility to travel was always one of the aspects I enjoyed the most - and having the feeling to be part of a bigger community which is not defined by borders of any kind like nationality, gender or anything but everybody is just following a common goal (in my case getting closer to the question how the universe works) always gave me hope, even in the darkest times of thesis writing. I am very glad and thankful to have made a lot of wonderful friends through this opportunity.

My current work is on a balloon experiment to investigate cosmic rays and besides working in the lab I do a lot of coding, which I personally enjoy since nicely written code can have its own esthetics. Also, since I am working on a collaborative project it is a joint effort and it feels great to work in a team and code together, learn from each other, improve on a day to day basis and make a large project happen!

Personally I am a very open person who easily connects and values friendships and I am trying for keep them vivid even across continents. I like adventures and "just going with the flow". I like outdoors activities and try to go hiking or on the water as often as possible. Sometimes I also don't mind a quiet hour somewhere at the beach reading a nice book.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'd like to meet new people - which is one of the most fun aspects of travelling. It has always been a great opportunity for me to make new friends, and even if I just signed up for couchsurfing, I hosted a lot of friends and friends of friends sometimes for weeks or even months and I always liked to have somebody around to hang out with. As my flatmate is hosting I enjoyed hanging out with the surfers staying at our place and listen to their stories and decided to give it a shot myself for my next travels.

Interests

I do a lot of programming for work but also in my free time, and I try to educate myself about writing web applications or new programming languages.
I especially enjoy playing the piano, though I haven't had a lot of practice recently.

• coding
• hiking
• kayaking
• sailing
• skiing
• astronomy
• physics
• playing football
• playing piano
• playing violin
• reading and writing

Music, Movies, and Books

Any kind of Rock - but I also have a classical musical education so I like classical music and Jazz. I love the Hofstadter books golden braid and strange loop, my favorite author for fiction is Haruki Murakami. Movies: If there is some weird independent sci-fi movie I am probably into it. Love Doctor Who.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Traveling on a research ship from Germany to South Africa - I did this twice for 5 weeks and it was an amazing experience!

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to learn and think live is a constant process of learning. It really energizes me to talk to other people and hear there experiences and learn something new. I am also willing to share mine and I am glad if there is something which is useful to others. Since I do a lot of software: open source is my jam ;)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I don't host personally - but my friend and flatmate Matteo does. So I'll be around and can offer spending time with you and help with ideas about the best spots on Oahu.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Japan, United States