CURRENT MISSION

Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Arriving there is what you are destined for. But do not hurry the journey at all.Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey. Without her you would not have set out.

ABOUT ME

Active for social justice, driven by an energy of which I still haven’t figured out the origins. Unstoppable hunger for knowledge, absorbing it almost continuously, sometimes contrary to my physical health. Activated (sometimes frustrated, but never bitter) by social, political and economic injustice all around us. Strong belief in the equality of all humans and the need to force the powerful into respecting the weaker.

A bit shy, but once at ease and activated, sometimes even overwhelming. Always in for a good discussion. Self-conscious and strong beliefs. Moved by beauty created by nature and human. Spiritual, not religious, but ability to be moved (to tears) by beauty. A mind that is never resting. Restlessly looking for a destination and being amazed by the beauty and excitement the journey brings. Endlessly curious about new things, new worlds, new cultures. Accumulating new experiences, making me richer in spirit. Travelling very regularly, looking to expand my horizon. Wanting to share all that and go through all this with someone… Hopeless romantic.

Looking to capture beauty and esthetics in photographs. Stubbornly going for what I am looking for, not precisely knowing what it is, but still being driven towards it, having confidence in these intuitive directions I give myself. Regularly going on a flow of intuition and impulsiveness, which already determined some directions in my life.

Strongly valuing the meaning of culture for myself and for society. Able to enjoy the company of old time friends and the diverse new friends I made in many parts of the world.

Professional activity: working for a Belgian NGO, making sure government respects human rights of asylum seekers and refugees fleeing from violence and persecution. Coordinating human rights work of Amnesty International in Belgium for Israel and Palestine. Organizing travels in Israel and the West Bank for 4 years now.

Also got into freelance journalism, travelled 6 months chasing revolutions and looking for dreams of freedom and happiness in Egypt, Tunisia, Lampedusa, Israël, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon.

PHILOSOPHY

It’s in this poem: As you set out for Ithaka, hope the voyage is a long one, full of adventure, full of discovery. Laistrygonians and Cyclops, angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them: you’ll never find things like that on your way as long as you keep your thoughts raised high, as long as a rare excitement stirs your spirit and your body. Laistrygonians and Cyclops, wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them unless you bring them along inside your soul, unless your soul sets them up in front of you. Hope the voyage is a long one.

May there be many a summer morning when, with what pleasure, what joy, you come into harbors seen for the first time; may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy find things, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, sensual perfume of every kind— as many sensual perfumes as you can; and may you visit many Egyptian cities to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind. Arriving there is what you are destined for. But do not hurry the journey at all. Better if it lasts for years, so you are old by the time you reach the island, wealthy with all you have gained on the way, not expecting Ithaka to make you rich. Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey. Without her you would not have set out. She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you. Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'll keep you posted as things progress.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I was hosted in Geneva. It was a great experience. Instead of simply being in Geneva for work, I was also part of the city and the life of my friend Valerio, even if it was just for a couple of days. In September I will host a Polish girl at my place in Leuven.
Time for an update: the Polish girl ended up surfing my couch for more than half a year, we became best of friends and I miss her from time to time. I even celebrated Christmas with her family in Lublin, Poland. Then there was Keith who arrived around the same time as Olga, and the three of us became best of friends. It was some kind of magic.

Interests

The issues that get my attention focused: migration, refugees, the multicultural society, human rights, international development, consumerism, corporate social responsibility, ecology, Belgian and international politics, Belgian-Flemish-francophone relations, Italian history/politics/culture/grip of mafia on society, Israel/Palestine and Arab countries, ethics, religion, spirituality, languages, photography, music

• culture
• photography
• beauty
• perfumes
• human rights
• ethics
• politics
• traveling
• magic
• music
• surfing
• ecology
• freelancing
• history
• journalism
• languages
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Passion for music. Grew up with punk rock music. Grew into all kinds of music with the kind of dazzling energy that can shake me up. Ability to drown in music (having played in a band myself for 11 years), just a sample of the music that can bring me in contact with the unknown source of beauty: Amalia Rodrigues, Fairouz, AC/DC, Alkaline Trio, Bad Religion, The Skatalites, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Billie Holiday, Leonard Cohen, Cecilia Bartoli, Nina Persson, Eels, Interpol, Elliot Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Cesaria Evora, Jacques Brel, The Clash, The Ramones, Johnny Cash, Wilco, Beethoven, Verdi, Mozart, Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Callas, Dire Straits, Midlake, The Smiths, Morrissey, Motorpsycho, Muddy Waters, Pixies, Rage Against The Machine, The Shins, Sigur Ros, Simon & Garfunkel,…

Books, mostly reading 5 of them at the same time. Books that changed the way I perceive the world: One Hundred Years of Solitude (Marquez), Crime and Punishment (Dostojevski), The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Pollan), The Kite Runner (Hosseini), Snow (Pamuk), Freedom (Franzen). Other books I read: about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Belgian politics, …

Films and documentaries (being a documentary freak, trying to catch as many as possible, especially when there are film festivals in the country). Just a simple: For a moment freedom, Crude, Requiem for a Dream, Persepolis,…

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Living with people in the revolutions, teaching me the meaning of freedom and happiness.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bolivia, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium

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