Servus, hello, سلام ,مرحبا, асалом, merhaba, 你好 and ciao!

My name is Marius and I am a Bavarian living in Freiburg, BaWü, Germany.

I have studied Near and Middle Eastern Studies at Munich University and (after a half year stay in Tajikistan) I am now doing my master's studies at Freiburg University. This might not sound like a course of studies that will make you earn a lot of money later on, but that's not why I chose this field. I love learning languages, history and culture.

My favourite travelling methods are hitchhiking (because of the people) and train travelling (because of the view out the window). Also I like hiking very much, how fortunate for me that the Black Forest starts right at my doorstep. Apart from that, traveling is always the best reason to go hiking.

I'm a vegetarian and a strict non-smoker.

Three more random facts about me:
- I'm not interested in football, but everyone around me is, so I'm always well informed.
- I played five different musical instruments as a child until I found the right one for me (baritone horn and trombone).
- At least once a year I have to go to Italy. And each day I eat a pizza (Margherita or Pugliese). As a friend once said: L'Italia non è un paese, è un'emozione.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I joined the Couchsurfing community in 2023 when I was travelling on the Balkans and used it scarcely in thr following year. When I moved to Tajikistan for a seven month internship in 2025, I started hosting people in my apartment there. I met great people there, made new friends and took a lot of memories home with me. Nowadays in Freiburg I cannot host because I am living in a WG, but I am hoping the opportunity will come up again in the future.

Interests

My interest are pretty diverse: History and culture are my favourite topics to read and discuss. A couchsurfer once called me a sociologist, because I want to understand societies and there ways - although I have never researched in that scientific way.
I am also a huge fan of the opera. I worked at Munich State Opera during my Bachelor's studies, now I am discovering the opera scene in Freiburg, Basel and Straßburg.
In general, I enjoy talking and discussing about almost everything. And I am always interested in hearing people's stories: How they became who they are and got to the place they are today.

• cooking
• board games
• socializing
• podcasts
• opera
• hiking
• history
• languages
• sustainability
• society
• mountain bike
• train travel
• memes

Music, Movies, and Books

This is just the tip of the iceberg:
- Opera (in audience and on stage as an extra)
- Game of Thrones (read ASOIAF three times)
- Star Wars (team old trilogy)
- Wind music (playing baritone horn and trombone myself)
...

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once lost my passport in the Kurdish town of Cizre, just a day before I wanted to cross the Iraqi border. But luckily someone found it and gave it to the police. Abd not only that - he waited at the road until I passed my two hours later searching for my passport. He called the police and they handed me my passport.
I had already seen all my travel plans fall into pieces - going 1.000 km to Ankara for a new document and losing my visa. But thanks to that one man I could sleep well that night and cross to Iraqi Kurdistan the next day.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Company, conversation, interest, cooking.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Latvia, Monaco, Netherlands, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Iraq, Tajikistan