CURRENT MISSION

Hmm, mission sounds so organized. I suppose at the moment I like to meet new people and experience new cultures

ABOUT ME

I'm currently 21 years and studying Organizational Psychology with a minor of Mediation thrown into the mix. When I'm not trying to manage conflicts I like to play saxophon in my bigband, scubadive and practice karate. Don't worry, I'm completely harmless, just put on some good jazz and I'll zone out just like that :p.

During my vacation I pack my bag and see where the road leaves me. Last year I interrailed my way through Eastern Europe. This year I hitchhiked around Spain and Portugal. What I like most during my travels is seeing the landscape change, learning bits and pieces about other peoples' culture and meeting new interesting people.

At the moment I'm an active member of a European studentorganization called AEGEE which has 250 antennes throughout Europe. I frequently visit the other antennes (Prague, Bukarest, Sofia, Madrid, Barcelona, Porto, Berlin etc.) to meet new people and have a great time.

PHILOSOPHY

Seriously, this page has some difficult questions. My personal philosophy... I suppose my basic philosophy, when you strip it down to its core, is heavily influenced with buddhistic zen philosophy, probably owing to my ongoing immersion in Goju karate.

I strive to find balance in what I do, accepting any and all things that come on my path. Acceptance off all emotions and harmonizing them whilst treating others with respect. And to never give up.

I suppose that this is closest I can come at the moment to describe my personaly philosophy, hopefully in the future I can elaborate on this.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I'm currently quite new and inexperienced to the CS project. I joined some time ago but didn't quite actively participate. I hope to change this in the near future.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Because I haven't couchsurfed that much (read: none at all), and Utrecht isn't that much of a couchsurfing hotspot, I don't really have any experiences to share here. Hoping to change that soon :)

Interests

I'm interested in a lot of stuff :p. Travelling, of course. Also listening to and playing jazz are a great interest of mine. I love to read a good book whilst on the road but I suppose that my greatest interest would be people (hence the pyschology). Understanding where they're coming from, what motivates them and how this ties into their and other cultures is what fascinates me to no end. And as an added bonus, I get to meet all kinds of friendly people many with whom I become good friends with.

• culture
• books
• traveling
• jazz
• hiking
• psychology
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Like I mentioned I'm a sucker for good jazz. Sammy Nestico is one of my favorite composers. Also I enjoy some Balkan music or ska once in a while. Apart from this I listen to pretty much every music style, from opera to rock or pop.

As for books, at the moment I'm in a fantasy-phase. I started up with the Wheel of Time series again due to the continuation of the series. Also the Dresden Files are a big favorite of mine. This summer I re-discovered Terry Pratchett and am trying to devour as many of his books as I can in between my travelling :p. Any suggestions on what to read next are more than welcome :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

It's difficult to think of one or two things that are so amazing that I have to share them. I suppose recently, hitchhiking from Porto to Utrecht in three days was a pretty amazing experiencing. Or hiking up a mountain of 2980 meters in the Pyrenees. I suppose my entire childhood in Southern Africa was amazing and the sight of the savannah by sunrise is still an experience I find amazing above all other things I have seen up till now.

Teach, Learn, Share

At the moment I see myself as a jack of all trades and a master of none. When this changes I'll be more than happy to share my 'esoteric knowledge and practical skills' with the CS community.