In my hometown I work in a hospital as a Dutch and English teacher. I provide the mainly French speaking staff with the language they need to do their specific jobs. I teach doctors, medical secretaries, handymen, security guards etc. I love my job and I will gladly return to it in 2016.

I’ve travelled a lot. The longest trips were Costa Rica/ Panama (3 months) and Seville/ Andalucia (6 weeks). The shorter ones have brought me to several Greek Islands, Italy, other parts of Spain, France, Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria, Ireland, Uk, The Netherlands, Tunisia, India, New York, Arizona/Utah/California and Cuba.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

On September 1 I will be embarking on a four month rtw trip. I have a friend joining me in November, but those first 9 weeks I’ll be on my own. The trip started out as a USA roadtrip but then my friend preferred going to Thailand. So after dreamy hours spent on the internet and in travel guides and atlases this is what I came up with: Washington Dc – Roanoke - Nashville – Memphis – Louisiana – Hawaï – Japan – Vietnam/ Laos/ Cambodia – Thailand. Not bad right? Only 4 flights have been booked, everything else I leave open to adventure and whims.

I would like some company to hang out with, share stories, a meal and a beer. I haven't surfed a couch yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it. Wonderful experiences lie ahead, no doubt.

Interests

I’m most passionate about language and stories, the two main things that make up travelling. I teach two languages and speak four (to various degrees). I not only read a lot but I try to write a story myself now and then. Preferably children’s stories where elephants talk your ear off and snowmen don’t like being cold.

I want to learn about people, the lives they live, what inspires them, what makes them tick. I want to see and feel, smell and taste, dance and play, be inspired and make friends.
And yes, I love my family and friends, the work I do, the color pink, shopping, sunsets on deserted beaches, roadtripping with the perfect playlist (yes, Abba and Black Sabbath do go together) and finding myself somewhere soaking up the adventure.

• coloring
• make up
• dancing
• beer
• shopping
• traveling
• teaching
• languages
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

It all depends on the mood, but browsing through my stuff I would say:

Music: The Rollings Stones, CCR, The Black Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis, Don Omar, Chet Baker, ...

Books: Game of Thrones, Dr Seuss, Harry Potter, Catcher in the Rye, Shantaram, 100 Years of Solitude, travel stories, ...

Movies: Shrek, Inception, Crash, Black Hawk Down, MASH, ...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- getting lost in the jungle on a little Panamanian island and live to tell the tale (my grandmother still doesn't know)
- taking a CELTA course in Seville

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Panama, Spain, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Costa Rica, Spain