Hey, everybody :)
My name is Mareike and I'm studying Psychology. When I'm travelling I'm probably going with my boyfriend so I can also tell you something about him. His name is Danny and he is studying English and Physics to become a teacher. We're both 24 years old and live in Kassel.
Swing dancing (Lindy Hop) has become our passion over the last year and we've been actively involved in Kassel's dancing scene ever since. When we're not on the dancefloor, we like going to the movies or trying something new like beach volleyball, trampoline jumping, juggling or ice skating. And there is so much more to come :)
I also love reading (historic novels, psychological thrillers & crime novels), painting on canvas and playing the piano. Danny enjoys exercising (running, weight training) while listening to podcasts (e.g. Ted Talks) and he truly LOVES watching movies (especially ones with great visuals like Mad Max: Fury Road, Pacific Rim, The Matrix etc.)
Our favourite evening routine is watching Failvideos while eating :D (which sometimes ended up in choking on my food :P).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Luckily we got accepted to be participants and helpers at a conference in Heidelberg in November this year (2017) . And that's when I first thought about Couchsurfing as a really cool opportunity to get to know the location in another way than staying in a guesthouse or hotel (which we, to be honest, can't afford anyway).

I love to imagine the possibility to travel anywhere in the world and stay with Locals who can give insider tips where to learn about and get to know the respective place, city, region, country... you can ask Danny, if we meet - I was pretty enthusiastic when I registered on Couchsurfing!

Interests

• poetry
• photography
• swing dancing
• zumba
• movies
• video games
• board games
• reading
• painting
• music
• piano
• sports
• volleyball
• eating
• nature
• dance
• talking
• weight training
• bycicle
• ted talks
• trying new things
• rammstein
• writing poetry

Music, Movies, and Books

-Books-

As I already wrote earlier, I love reading but what depends on my mood, the season etc. Especially I like historic and romantic novels (mostly something where a woman finds old stuff of her family and reveals a secret :D) or quite harsh psycho thrillers (which I prefer in rainy times and Winter). I also like forensic thrillers or crime stories. And poetry of course.

-Music-

I like music a lot! Nickelback, U2 and Die Ärzte are some of my favourite bands and I also love to listen to the danish singer Tina Dico. But I always say that I listen to a wide range of music - Rock, Pop, Swing, Dance (charts), Electro (swing), classic music...
Danny's favourite band is Rammstein! And I can tell you that he likes to quote parts of the lyrics :D
But he also likes more old and funky music and Swing for sure.

-Movies-

I cannot really name my one favourite movie.. I like to watch but there is no film that I have watched more than others because I could watch it over and over again. Movies like Inception, Prestige, Now you see me, The Revenant, Shutter Island and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus are some that impressed and fascinated me. I also love films like The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner etc. My favourite series are Lost (Epic! I watched it without bigger interruption and could follow it very well. It was an era that ended when I finished Lost!), Fringe, The Knick (too bad that there were only two seasons. One mistake I've done was to watch it while eating.. :D) and Outlander.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

To me personally I would say the most amazing thing I've done was to start Swing dancing. It paved the way for so many other great things in my life since then and let me made new friends. Danny and I have been to a concert of the Postmodern Jukebox in Kassel and that was a very special evening for me. We started to give lessons for beginners and also more advanced dancers, we share this passion and there is still so much we can learn and experience.
Another cool and very important time in my life were the six weeks in 2016 when I lived in a small tourist town at the Baltic Sea in August and September (Kühlungsborn). I did an internship in an rehab clinic there and it contributed to my personal development. Also living at the sea made me to become a calmer, more balanced and happier person. I did a lot of cool things there and would love to share it with you!

Teach, Learn, Share

We can teach you some basic or (if you're experienced) some advanced Lindy Hop dance moves as well as some simple jazz steps that you can use the next time you hit the dance floor :D
Also great conversations about psychology, sociology, education, body language, movies, art, philosophy, fitness and more.
We are pretty much open and interested in learning anything like cooking, learning how to play instruments, writing stories, new languages, other dance types ... :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I / We can share our thoughts, knowledge about psychology, science, body language. We can teach you Lindy Hop moves of course. Or I could paint a canvas for you if you have acrylic colors. I can share my poetry, we can drum together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany