I'm a 21 year old medicine student who currently lives in the city of my university, which is Utrecht. I grew op in Beneden-Leeuwen, a little town located near Nijmegen (it's not that near for Dutch concepts). And while I very much like the rest and the nature there, I wanted to meet more people, which is why I went to Nijmegen for a high school called the "Stedelijk Gymnasium Nijmegen" (Literally: Urban Gymnasium of Nijmegen). Here I learned how to play the guitar myself (as a side-project).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I found the reason for couchsurfing whilst working in a bar, called "Grand Café Lebowski" which is located next to the Dom tower in Utrecht. Since this is one of the few international places in Utrecht, it is kind of a refuge for the internationals that don't want to work at a franchise like Starbucks or Zara, but would rather want to expand their world. Getting to know these people, they got me inspired and it made me realize that I'm very interested in sharing and getting to know cultures rather than keeping stereotypes intact. This also changed my view on my visits to other countries lately; rather than visiting the mass attractions and hearing everything from a tour guide that I doubt is telling his own mind, I realized that I'd like to hear about and visit the things that locals enjoy and mostly their reasons why. Hear their stories about the history, culture and developments in the city.

Interests

• singing
• sociology
• learning new things
• learning new languages
• sharing ideas
• guitar playing
• drumming
• reading novels
• helping others
• sharing experiences
• new foods
• connecting with people
• culture and history
• connecting people
• blending in

Music, Movies, and Books

My favourite music is music made by people that can play an instrument, singing included. Genre-wise, if it were up to me, I'd listen to very soft rock up until heavy metal (which is the range that I can play mostly), but I also enjoy lots of other genres. If I'd have to pick a band right now it would be Greta van Fleet (if you haven't heard of them yet; you'd better hurry). I also like to listen to music made by comedians, such as Ylvis (Norwegian brothers who run a TV-show) and Tim Minchin (Australian comedian).
Favourite movie at the moment: Braveheart because I fell in love with Scotland last year, favourite movie overall: Lord of the Rings. For books I think I have not read enough to have a very good idea about what's a good book, but I must say I enjoyed The Rosie Project and Still Alice a lot; the first one is from a professor's view who has autism, the second one is from a professor's view who has early-onset Alzheimer's.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was 16, my school (Stedelijk Gymnasium Nijmegen) competed in the World Championship Cross-Country for students, which was held in Tiberias, Israël. I made it into the team along with 5 guys and 6 girls, and we went there with 4 of our PE teachers. It was the first time (and the only time up until now) that I left Europe, which I was really stoked about. We went there for a week, and while competing would have been already very nice on its own, connecting with people from all over the world I think was what I mostly enjoyed there.

Teach, Learn, Share

I think that if you really want to, you can connect with everyone.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Mainly my thoughts and ideas, and if you own a guitar or an instrument alike I'd be happy to play some music for or with you!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands