Friendly, sometimes social human. I am in for walk, coffee, and some nice conversations along the way.

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I use CS mainly for meeting people and I appreciate if you have something written in your CS profile (about your interests, why you are on CS etc). Then, it is a lot easier to see if we will have a somewhat of a common ground since the motivations of people here range from dating to having someone to party with, and everything in between.

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I was born in Latvia and my family never travelled beyond this small Baltic country so as soon as I turned 18, I was out- working, travelling, volunteering, studying all around Europe. For over 2 years, I lived in the south of Spain, Málaga, and now, this city feels a bit like home which I keep coming back to in the free time.

At the moment, I am living in Freiburg, Germany and just finished bachelor's in Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Freiburg (Life Sciences major). What's next? Well, I plan to continue working in research and hence it is always interesting to talk about academia vs industry experiences (especially with those who have tried both).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I suppose it is similar reason as for reading some books, for example. Each of us only got one body and life to live, with the limited experiences that comes with it. Yet, by "meeting" other people, be it in person, movie, or a novel, one can get to live a bit beyond that- to see what life is like from another human's perspective. Some of the people I have met here have left a lasting impact on my life; some rather surprised by showing how very different the lived human experiences can be. In any case, these encounters made my life richer and I hope I can do the same for others.

Interests

Various and varying over time :)

• ethics
• reading
• traveling
• hiking
• biology
• languages
• neuroscience
• philosophy
• cultures
• climbing
• sustainable development
• biotechnology
• renewable energy
• adventure sports
• effective altruism
• stand up paddle
• epigenetics
• resistance training
• nutrition science
• reducing unnecessary suffering
• brain organoids

Music, Movies, and Books

Books (a few recent and long time favourites) - Julia Galef's "Scout mindset", Jean-Dominique Bauby's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", William MacAskill's "Doing good better", Albert Camus's "The stranger", George Orwell "Animal Farm", "1984"..

Music - depends on the occasion

Movies - Woody Allen movies (most of them), Jim Jarmusch's "Night on Earth", Abbas Kiarostami's "Life, and Nothing More.." would be among the favorites

Some podcasts and videos I enjoy(ed) very much - Robert Sapolsky's fascinating lecture collection on Human Behavioral Biology (YouTube), "Sigma nutrition" channel on nutrition science (Spotify)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I really wanted to take a Persian language course but, unfortunately, university didn't offer any in English. So I ended up taking a beginner's Persian course in German with a beginner's level of German.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can share some tips on where to find good coffee and suggest nice places to visit in Freiburg, Málaga, Latvia or Montenegro.

Most of my time is currently spent in a lab where, among other things, I work with brain organoids as model systems of early neurodevelopment. Since not many people have heard about them, I am happy to talk (or show some photos) with anyone curious about these mini brain models.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Spontaneous (or planned) trips outdoors. Exploration of the city centre. Cup of good tea or coffee. Conversations on topics we are interested in

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Germany, Latvia, Montenegro, Spain