CURRENT MISSION

Europe in 4 parts, Parts 1-3 are done. now: BIKE TRIP!!

ABOUT ME

Well since there are two of us I'll describe Jeanette and she can describe me.

Jeanette is a friendly, upbeat and outgoing. She's a political activist and an avid gardener. She loves good conversations and good food (she really loves food). No matter where you are she will always have snacks and she is happiest working in her garden with her shoes off.

Nick is fun, caring and an amazing travel partner. He sees the good in bad situations and can make a day in the park an adventure. He is going to grad school in the fall so we are making the most of our current freedom. If you're looking for great philosophical conversations over a beer/coffee (or two) he's your guy. Nick is learning more about cooking and enjoys creating as he goes. Some things he has perfected and others... not so much.

PHILOSOPHY

We try to live our lives freely and openly. We have ideas about the world but we're always open to new ones and we're not interested in passing judgment on others. More than anything we want to meet new people and get to know them, learn as much as we can and have a great time!

Perché sono iscritto su Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Interessi

Gardening, running, philosophy, composting, cycling, swimming, reading, eating/cooking, getting to know new places, fermenting, learning and sharing.

• dining
• cooking
• cheese
• beer
• coffee
• running
• drinking
• gardening
• flowers
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• swimming

Musica, film e libri

movies: children of men, adaptation, bon cop bad cop, zoolander, death at a funeral, and many more

music: hot chip, gorillaz, junior boys, stars, barenaked ladies, mstrkrft, vitalic, 2manydj's, spoon, rilo kiley, postal service, daft punk, the killers

books: Nick likes theory and philosophy: foucault, marx, derrida, baudrillard, deleuze, judith butler, bell hooks, chandra mohanty
Jeanette likes fiction and non-fiction: the constant gardener, the great transformation (polanyi), harry potter (guilty pleasure), and whatever someone will give/trade me)

Una cosa incredibile che ho fatto

We WWOOFed (volunteered for room and board) on a farm where we had to work 9-10 hours a day, we got the same soup for lunch and dinner, and when we told them we had decided to leave in a few days, they shut off our hot water and took away our toilet paper.

Insegna, impara, condividi

Things we've learned on this trip:

HONEY
honey from your local area can help to reduce allergies (as long as it is unheated). The small doses of pollen in the honey help to acclimate you to the area. Also, never use a metal spoon when getting honey from a jar, use a wooden one so that the honey does not oxidize.

STINGING NETTELS
They are amazing! higher in iron than spinach and it makes delicious soup! If you have food poisoning pour boiling water over a few leaves, drink the tea, and the food poisoning will be gone in a few hours. WARNING do not use leaves from plants that have begun to flower/seed. They can cause kidney damage... awkward.

VEGGIE STOCK
any left over veggie scraps can be used to make soup stock! just put trimmings in a pot, cover with water and simmer for at least an hour. the simmer lets the flavour out without releasing any flavours you might not want. Dont let the stock boil! Drain the stock and store in the fridge. The stock will last up to a week. more scraps can be added each day to update your stock of stock! Soup is soooooo easy to make dont be afraid to make soups.

HOW TO MAKE CHEESE!
milk a goat. Put the milk in a large deep pot and season with anything you like, salt, hot pepper, herbs etc. Boil the milk until it froths up to the top, quickly add either vinegar or lemon juice, and dont be afraid to add a lot. Stir the soon to be cheese and turn down the heat. Leave the milk covered and simmering for about 3 minutes or until the whey and curds separate. Once they have separated pour the soon to be cheese through a strainer. the whey can be used in a bath, to make a balm, or as a fertilizer for your garden. Leave the milk to drain for a while, in fact you can leave it for as long as you like depending on the consistency you want or how hungry you are. voila cheese!

Paesi che ho visitato

Netherlands, Tanzania, Turkey

Paesi in cui ho vissuto

Canada, France, Kenya, Netherlands