CURRENT MISSION

Get rich, but not necessarily money-wise

ABOUT ME

Hello, I'm Max! I'm born in Leuven, a small city in a small European country named Belgium. I grew up here, so I know the city like my back pocket. Having spent most of my life in the same place, I enjoy traveling and I am very excited by the prospect of moving away for one semester to Illinois in the US (from august until september).

Currently, I am a student in media and communications in Leuven. What interests me in these studies is the impact media has on society and the marketing aspect.

More generally, I am an easy-going, talkative person who enjoys laughing and meeting people.

PHILOSOPHY

David Hockney said "I see life as a rather big gift, so you'd better value it". It's a bit cliché, it's a bit cheesy, but I do think it's well said.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None, but I plan on changing that as soon as possible :)

Interests

As I've said, I'm a student in media and communications. I don't know yet for sure what I would like to do in the near future, but I try out different things, such as Radio Scorpio, the student-led radio station in Leuven (I am part of the news program), which is a lot of fun.

I am a (pop) culture geek: movies, music, books, art, comics, theater... Let's say I prefer creative things over sporty things (although I do go for a run or play soccer with friends once in a while).

I am also active as a scouting member (which, for the record, is not the same as in the US. Read: less conservative).

I enjoy broadening my perspective, whether this is by talking to people, reading books, watching movies or listening to music. A moment of inspiration, is a moment well-spent :) In those moments I tend to draw something in my sketch book.

• arts
• culture
• books
• theater
• dining
• running
• partying
• news
• comics
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• drawing
• music
• soccer
• communications
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Paris Is Burning, Lost In Translation, Paranoid Park, Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Kaboom.

Music: So much. Beach House, The National, Vampire Weekend, Antony & The Johnsons to name a few. Mostly indie music, but also world music, soul, some hiphop, some jazz...

Books: What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt, Just Kids by Patti Smith and last but not least Harry Potter (duuh).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- I will never forget my day out in Beijing. We lost my dad in the Forbidden City, we hired bikes and explored the city. I don't know what it exactly was that thrilled me that day (the energy of the city? The food? The people?), but I enjoyed every minute of it. In case you're wondering, at the end of the day, we coincidentally stumbled upon my dad on the sidewalk.

- Participating in the Route Du Soleil in 2011, the world's biggest hitchhiking race. We started in Leuven and arrived seven days later in Venice. A journey never to forget: the people, the lows (3 hours in the sun that felt like days), the highs (fixing a ride after 3 hours in the sun), the parties, ...

- Spending a month in South Africa with my cousins. Back in 2010, I lived with my aunt in Cape Town for one month (as part of an exchange) and I went to school with my niece for two weeks. Needless to say I had a fantastic time.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, Italy, Mongolia, Namibia, Netherlands, South Africa, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium