Hey there! I am Maciej, an international student from Poland who settled in Groningen for the foreseeable future after falling in love with the Netherlands. I pride myself in being open-minded, tidy, and studious, as well as a pretty adept tabletop RPG GM. Recently I plunged back into contemporary philosophy and philosophy of science, so if you are looking toward long discussions, I am more than happy to oblige.

Admittedly some of my interests and hobbies are kind of niche (looking at you, ~100 Couchsurfers who also play mahjong, and most likely not riichi mahjong) but I have yet to hear someone complain about not enjoying my confections and cakes. If you have any special recipes you would be willing to teach me, I would gladly learn them.

What I am looking toward is piercing the veil on my day-to-day social bubble of natural science academics to get to know the people in places I visit much better than exhibits or guides would.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I joined recently for two primary reasons: personal growth and being able to travel more.
I think that meeting and understanding people from different walks of life gives you fresh perspectives and allows you to grow as a person - and Couchsurfing is a perfect opportunity for this, both as a host and as a guest.
As for the other reason, accommodation is prohibitively expensive for EU travels - Couchsurfing, on the other hand, makes the experience both authentic and would allow me to travel and experience more of the world out there.

Interests

• books
• cooking
• baking
• gardening
• board games
• teaching
• philosophy
• discussion
• science and technology
• hydroponics
• creative writing
• 3d printing
• mahjong
• philosophy of science
• coffee and tea
• ttrpg

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC:
Generally electronic, be it experimental, heavy synth or ambient. Carbon Based Lifeforms, Kodomo, Carpenter Brut, Lorn, Robert Lippok, Danger.

MOVIES:
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Life is Beautiful, Whiplash, Perfect Blue, Paprika, Oldboy (2004), Parasite, Yojimbo, Harakiri, Monty Python (Holy Grail, Life of Brian, skits and the like).
Beyond 'good' movies, I adore so-bad-they're-good movies, especially watched with friends. Neil Breen's filmography, Sint, Moonfall, The Wicker Man, Drzewa (1995), Backstroke of the West [bootlegged, mistranslated version of Revenge of the Sith].

BOOKS:
A bit of sci-fi, a bit of satire, a bit of philosophical fiction. The Stranger, The Plague, Little Prince, Discworld Series, Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy, The Myth of Sisyphus, Brave New World, Ubik, The Man in the High Castle, Master and Margarita, Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

After being fed up with lack of space for a garden, I joined a hyper-local manufacturing project and 3d-printed a hydroponic garden (well, an aeroponic tower in this case) to fuel my cooking herb needs. Currently I'm trying to grow stevia to extract my own sweetener.

Travel-wise: 15 days long bus/train round trip across Europe - from Warsaw, through Prague, Munich, Venice, Marseille, to Barcelona and back through Paris, Brugge, Essen, and Berlin. Travelling by night, exploring by day with little to no accommodation. I also very fondly remember touring the Tuscan countryside, the hidden gems in forms of small towns that weren't as affected by tourism as the big cities.

Teach, Learn, Share

Learning is lifelong, and I enjoy broadening knowledge in every form - written, spoken, experienced. I lament that there's too many fascinating areas of life for a single lifetime.

I have been a chemistry tutor for over 7 years, so if you have any exams coming up, you can count on me to explain the 'boring' stuff in a more engaging way. In more practical matters, I can teach you about the ins and out of brewing filter coffee, how to make macarons, and how to play riichi mahjong.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A good laugh and home-cooked food.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Poland