CURRENT MISSION

Losing weight

ABOUT ME

I'm positive and lively, very communicative and friendly, like getting know new information, trying new experience, exploring new places.

A couple of years ago I came across I great name to describe my love of travel - 'travelmania'. It means 'those with the insatiable urge to travel'.

When not travelling, I am working

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm interested in meeting new people and having more than just a tourist's experience. Travel can be a way of challenging the way you view the world and learning new ways of looking at things

Interests

I love traveling worldwide to chase my specific interest in human beings. However I do also highly appreciate cultural exchange; physically and spiritually and emotionally, learning new languages and seeing new places either nearby or not.

I always travel cheaply with different kinds of transportation from hitchhiking to blablacar to tuk tuks to dreamliners. I adore hiking too, mostly like day trips.

Feel free to ask me about travel tips in Georgia,Ukraine or Israel...
Although it's advisable to plan ahead,i often don't and prefer improvisation.I also like travel books,sunbathing and gyming!

• cooking
• jazz
• art
• films
• theatre
• jogging
• comedy
• healthy living
• love
• self development
• romance
• jesus christ
• gospel
• traveling around the world
• movies and music
• travel tours
• self imposed

Music, Movies, and Books

Joe Thomas,
West life,
Kenny G,
Michael Bolton,
Gregory porter,
Jagged edge,

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

During my stay in Israel I have seen many things I didn’t expect to see. One of these things is the striking presence of black people in urban Israel. They represent a diverse people of whom most are Ethiopian Jews who made aliya ( the migration of the jewish diaspora back to Israel) and settled in Israel in the 80’s (operation moses) and early 90’s (operation solomon) as a result of the then mengistu regime. Besides this, it is striking to see many immigrant workers from Africa and Asia, among them West-Africans,I Indians, Arabs,Phillipinos and Indonesians (mostly caregivers),l Sudanese and Ethiopians.

The Ethiopian Jews are commonly known by the slightly derogatory term "Falasha"but the name they chose for themselves is Beta Israel (Hebrew for The House of Israel). They are today virtually no Ethiopian Jews anymore in Ethiopia. Israel organized mass migrations in the late 80’s
Many Ethiopian Jews converted to Christianity at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. They faced discrimination and hardship and chose to become Christians in a predominantly Christian country to make their lives easier. However, today many of the descendants of these converts feel they are still Jews and should also have the right for aliya, ( to ‘return’ to Israel) These people are named "Falash Mura" and after many discussions the Israeli government made them eligible for migration although with many restrictions and limitations.
While Ethiopian Jews face discrimination and had a difficult time integrating in Israeli society things are changing. Through the compulsory military service (3 years for men, 2 years for women) they become more and more part of Israeli society, many today prefer to speak Hebrew than the language of their parents. I saw many blacks in the army forces (the Israeli army is omnipresent in Israel and I dare to say that 6 out of 20 soldiers I've seen , are black.

Still, black Israeli face discrimination (nearly half of all Israeli employers would rather not hire an Ethiopian Jew) and I saw that all dirty jobs in Israel are done by black people. Virtually all janitors I've seen look like Ethiopians, of course I couldn’t tell if they were black Israeli rather than African immigrant workers (quite complicated you see)

Israel wants to protect its Jewish character. So while a Jew can be blond with blue eyes, a brown skinned South Asian, an Arab looking person or even a black African, if you are not Jewish you can actually not migrate to Israel. The Knesset (the Israeli parliament) recently voted a law limiting the years that an immigrant worker can actually reside in Israel to 5 years. Exceptions are made for diplomats’ personal and for non Jewish spouses of Israeli citizens

Conversion to Judaism is also possible but extremely difficult as you actually have to study the Jewish Holy Scriptures thoroughly, follow the kosher rules strictly and have an orthodox Jewish lifestyle. During this process you are followed by a Rabbi, who will eventually decide if you are a Jew are not. Of course men have to be circumcised and all have to make the ritual immersion in a bath (mikveh)
I thank God for this trip it has opened my eyes about people and what it means to be "Jew".
Tomorrow I swim in the dead sea...)

Teach, Learn, Share

Living life isn't by chance but choice
We've all been given the power of choice
We should use it wisely

What I Can Share with Hosts

Couch and heart of hospitality

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Azerbaijan, Brunei Darussalam, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Tanzania, Thailand, Uzbekistan