CURRENT MISSION

Living in Berlin for some time. Currently sharing flat so unfortunately no guest room to share at the moment, but happy to meet up. Have been travelling or living abroad for 10+ years in 60+ countries, most years adding up with Turkey, USA, Spain, France, Bolivia, UK, China, boats on sea etc.
So I am kind of familiar and love to meet folks from many walks of life and cultural backgrounds.

ABOUT ME

You are welcomed to find out for yourself.

PHILOSOPHY

Be yourself! E.g. you should do what you think you have to do and live the life you feel you have to live - unless it is at the expense of other people, animals or the environment.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Meeting interesting people from all walks of life.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

had hosted some, but I have been a SERVAS member for several years. So I made some hosting and being-guest experiences there. (different locations and countries). Also good airbnb experiences

Interests

TRAVELING THE WORLD ...
I like traveling and exploring other countries and cultures and I am eager to learn more about the history, the geography, the economy, the politics and the cultural peculiarities of the regions visited. I love meeting interesting people and I enjoy their company, the conversations with them, do activities together and learn from them.

SPORTS & ACTIVITIES ...
I have done some (long-distance) sailing and cycling, frequently some biking, swimming and dancing and ocassionally some motor-biking, skiing and scuba-diving. I enjoy all of it, but most of these activities have slowed down during the last years due to various reasons, but 2012 will see an increase again. So far my mission.

PHOTOGRAPHY
I like taking pictures and trying to catch the atmosphere, feeling and expression of a place, an item, a detail, a structure, a person or a situation.
I am always eager to meet people with the same interest in photography, improving pictures and wanting to work together in processing and presenting them.

I also like, what I call...
HOLISTIC DESIGN OF LIVING ENVIRONMENTS
Imagining, describing, visualizing, conceptualizing and shaping environments around us. Trying to find a well-balanced equilibrium or ideal-combined mixture of aesthetics & functionality, ecology & economy, social needs & technological possibilities. Especially if the (re)use of old existing buildings are involved.

• animals
• design
• photography
• dancing
• environment
• running
• politics
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• scuba diving
• sailing
• skiing
• sports
• swimming
• ecology
• geography
• history

Music, Movies, and Books

It really depends. I watch out more for no-fiction books and movies than for fiction. Topics can vary: historical subjects and the topics of my interest (see above) are always among them.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Having been around the world a bit and having managed to do so on a very limited budget. Traveling and/or working/living in more than 60 countries. Especially some trips to get there or to get around like:

- bicycling from German to Gibraltar or Germany to Istanbul
- sailing across the Atlantic twice and around the Caribbean for several months,
- traveling from Europe to Southeast Asia overland
- living/working in Turkey for about 7 years
- having been to certain Middle East and Central American countries including to some in troubled times like El Salvador in 1990 & Iraq in 2003

Being in charge of setting-up successfully a German Embassy School in Izmir in 2008 - within nine months, but without any money, experience or foundation to start with and running it for the first school term in 2008/09 was also a very challenging and enriching task.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Martinique, Mexico, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Spain, Turkey, United States

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