CURRENT MISSION

I'd love to meet people from all over the world, first on the internet, later on maybe in 'real life'!

ABOUT ME

Hi there!

I'm Judith, a 26 years old girl living in Nijmegen, the oldest and most beautiful city of the Netherlands (come and visit!). I am a teacher in biology on an high school and besides I'm a coach in artistic gymnastics for girls aged 5 - 16. Very nice jobs indeed. The best part of working in high school? Twelve weeks of holiday each year, of course :-). So time enough time to discover the world!

PHILOSOPHY

Life can be beautiful at any place on earth, as long as you are surrounded by freindly and inspiring people!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I read an article about this project in a Dutch Magazine (May 2007). I haven't heard of it before and I don't know anyone on this site yet. But I am very enthusiastic about the mission of Couch Surfing!
Travelling the world is nice in anyway, but being part of a culture (even for only a few days) is the best part of getting to know a new country! I don't want to see only the "Lonely Planet" spots, but any interesting part of your city! Of course I would be very glad to show any of you around in Nijmegen!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

No experiences so far; hopefully this will change soon!

Interests

Travelling of course! For now the continent I'd love to visit the most is Africa, especially Uganda and Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana). In 2005 I spent three months in Southern Africa (partly internship, partly traveling) and I had really a very good time!
I'm always very interested in landscape and nature (that's why I studied biology) and the African wildlife is very very amazing. From the big elephants and de wild lions up to the variety of birds, the trees which differ a lot from European trees and beautiful landscapes like Okavango Delta and the Namibian sanddunes. But besides the wonderful surroundings I was really impressed by the very friendly and helpful people. I didn't have any bad experience, although I am a highly blond-haired girl! I'd really love to go back to the countries I've been before or to explore some new countries. It must be very interesting to be part of the African culture for some time, preferably in small villages.
Besides I'd love to be part of a ranger course to learn more about the wonderful nature of Africa.

• wildlife
• birds
• culture
• coach
• traveling
• socializing
• surfing
• gymnastics
• biology
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

I love lots of books, most crime / thrillers (Nicci French, John Grisham) and 'chick lits'. And of course Harry Potter; can't wait till July 2007!
Music can be very important in creating a nice atmosphere. Whether it is a guitar at the campfire or a nice song on the radio while driving a car: music sometimes can completely change one's mood. I'd like different kinds of music, but mostly pop and rock.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The most amazing thing I've done took place in Hoedspruit, South Africa. I stayed there for about five weeks for een internship in a game and nature reserve. One day we were asked to help our neighbours, who owned a lion breeding project. Our goal was to move about thirty lions to another breeding project. Capturing the lions and making sure that they would survive the journey in good health was really a very, very amazing experience.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Laos, Latvia, Malawi, Namibia, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Zambia

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands