Hello!

My name is Jeroen (crazy name? it's basically like Jerome, but Dutch), from the Netherlands.

I have wanted to couchsurf for ages, but it felt like I also had to be able host, which until now I've never had the space for, sadly. That'll soon change, hopefully, and I look forward to it.

I basically love the idea of couchsurfing because I've recently come to the conclusion that making real connections with other people is the most important - and/or perhaps the only important thing there is in the world. Making connections can happen in various ways, of course - as long as there is a mutual attention and appreciation of what it means to be human :) - whatever that is.

As for me, people tend to say I am a quiet person to the extent that I seem to create quietness around me. I don't know myself if that's true - but I tend to have quiet hobbies: reading and writing in particular. However, I do like a bit of adventure in my life - the worst thing, for me, is a life of utter predictability, where every day, week, month, can be drawn out beforehand, where your whole life just looms up ahead of you in its very precise shape and form. That won't do. That's not what life is or should be, I think.

This last year I have quit my job (last September) in order to travel around the world a bit. So far, this has been mostly by bike. I have gone from The Netherlands to Spain as well as through Germany to the Alps. This is a wonderful way to travel (I recommend it to anyone!) and I'd like to do more of it. Same goes for walking - I guess I am one of those slow travel people. I need time to digest the great abundance that the world has to offer after every turn. I'm reminded of a quote by the writer Sarah Manguso: "I'd be able to recover from today if it weren't for tomorrow. There should be extra days, buffer days, between real days."

So come meet me on a buffer day or a real day - any which way I'm up for it!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to meet people and create connections, I believe the world is much better off if people from different places and different backgrounds simply talk to each other every now and then. Much of bigotry, hate, whatever, I think is down to misunderstanding or a "not knowing", and services such as Couchsurfing definitely have a part to play here!

Interests

• writing
• literature
• reading
• jazz
• cycling
• hiking
• indie rock
• slow travel

Music, Movies, and Books

Literature: Jorge Luis Borges, Don DeLillo, Fernando Pessoa, Rebecca Solnit, David Berman, Seamus Heaney, etc. etc. etc.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I guess that would have to be my cycling trips - in two months I traveled to Sevilla from Leiden by bike, which was a pretty epic undertaking!

Teach, Learn, Share

I am happy to share all my random thoughts, and whatever skills I have. Though I don't always like to be behind a pc, I am a rather technical person, I can program and help you out with websites and so on. I am a decent and enthusiastic cook, and always interested in sharing recipes. Also an amateur historian, who likes to walk around towns and tell random facts to people - whether they like it or not.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Enthusiasm, a listening ear, stories, good company, cooking, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Spain