I'm a 30-year-old high school teacher with a passion for travelling and exploring the unkown. I currently teach Dutch (my mother tongue) and English to boys and girls in 8th, 9th and 10th grade (ages 13 to 17), but I'm always on the lookout for new challenges. I graduated as a conference interpreter in 2010 and had my own translation and interpretation agency for a couple of years, but then found out that I wanted to broaden my horizon and decided to take a teacher training course. So far, I've travelled mainly in Europe and South-East Asia, but I plan to see more of the world in the years to come.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When abroad I always enjoy the company of other people, especially locals. I hope couchsurfing can be a new way for me to meet interesting people, immerse myself in local culture and get in touch with various communities. Maybe one day, when I have a bigger place of my own, I'll also be able to host visitors myself and show them around in Antwerp.

Interests

I'm always up for a fun night out in town, I truly enjoy tasty food and having a drink in cosy company. I love discovering local customs and culinary traditions in foreign coountries. As for activities I like to engage in, these include hiking, camping, running, swimming, visiting museums, taking road trips, ...

Music, Movies, and Books

Watching movies and TV series is one of my preferred pastimes. My favorite movie of all times is Apocalypse Now, but there are so many others like The Godfather (all three parts), La Meglio Gioventù, True Romance, Platoon, The Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, ...
Furthermore, I have a long-standing passion for rap music (more specifically conscious, political and underground hip hop), but I also enjoy jazz, blues and pianoforte. In the context of one of my college classes (American culture), I did my dissertation on the American creed of hip hop culture, based on a comparison between Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass and several rap lyrics.
Last but not least, I love reading as well. As for fiction, I'm not really into thrillers or crime novels, I prefer classic novels and drama. My favorite author is Gabriel García Márquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera). From time to time I'm also interested in non-fiction (science, history, biographies, politics).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In 2014 I climbed Mount Rinjani (3,726 m) in Lombok, Indonesia! Definitely the most dazzling, exhausting, thrilling and - once we'd reached the summit - exhilarating thing I've ever done.
Oh and in 2015 I walked about 750 km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France all the way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Teach, Learn, Share

Exchanging ideas on multiple topics, both heavy-hearted and lighter in nature, is something I enjoy very much. Through couchsurfing I also hope to learn more practical skills from all sorts of people having all sorts of different talents.

What I Can Share with Hosts

When I'm a guest in someone's house I always make sure to keep things tidy, I help clean the place if necessary, I can cook quite well and I'll try to be the nicest company I can be!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Cambodia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Italy