Hello! My name is Robert. I currently live in Madison, Wisconsin. I love meeting people, traveling, and arts and culture. I'm especially fond of cinema and attending film festivals! I'm new to Couchsurfing and am interested in hosting in the near future myself!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I enjoy meeting people who are natives of the places that I visit. After multiple solo travel experiences, I've found that travel is much more fulfilling for me when it's shared with other people. I'm on Couchsurfing to have friendlier, more social experiences as when I travel and to make new friends!

Interests

• film festivals
• politics
• reading
• history
• travel
• filmmaking
• cinema
• museums

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I trained as a classical pianist and completed a music degree, so most of my musical knowledge is related to classical music. My favorite composers are from late 19th and early 20th century musical movements (Late Romanticism, Impressionism, early Modernism, etc.), including Debussy, Ravel, Wagner, Mahler, Stravinsky, Bartok, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev. Ask me any questions about classical music, and I'll likely have strong opinions. As a cinephile, I also really enjoy film scores!

Movies: I have a broad interested in movies, from the birth of cinema in the 1890s to the present. I'm an adventurous cinephile who will watch anything and everything from any time and place. Choosing favorites is difficult, since my favorite films tend to be whatever I've recently watched that's resonated with me! I'm especially fond of European art cinema and the "new waves" of the 1960s (French New Wave, Czech New Wave, etc.). I also appreciate a well-crafted blockbuster (though those are in increasingly short supply) and the occasional trashy genre movie, so my tastes aren't just highbrow :)

Books: I mainly read nonfiction on subjects related to history, culture, policy, etc. I'm a big fan of American travel writer Rick Steves, whose detailed, highly pragmatic travel advice and guides has helped me become a very confident solo traveler over the past several years. Lately I've been reading books about the current state of the world by authors such as Anne Applebaum and books about European history and culture such as Ben Coates' "Why the Dutch Are Different: A Journey Into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands."

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I lived for two years in the Netherlands on the Dutch American Friendship Treaty visa (DAFT) and did film production freelancing. One of the largest film projects I worked on was a feature documentary about education in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion - a very important and eye-opening experience. I also provided my apartment as the set for a low-budget feature film. Fifteen people for ten days at my place was a lot to manage, but it was a very rewarding (albeit exhausting) experience!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm clean, courteous, and naturally outgoing. I'm genuinely interested in people: their stories, their talents, their quirks. I greatly enjoy getting to know what makes a person unique. As a guest, I'll bring a warm, pleasant demeanor to your home and my perspectives on life, travel, and any other subjects that you find interesting!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United States