"I would rather die with memories than dreams." - one of my favorite quotes, which was written on the wall in the home of my Couchsurfing host in Cusco, Peru.

I quit my job as an electrical engineer after working there for 4 years to travel and learn new languages, while working different odd jobs and volunteering. I spent 3 years traveling South America like this, including spending 7 months working for an NGO on the Colombia/Venezuela border in humanitarian aid; almost 6 months spread between Costa Rica, Peru, and Brazil that I focused on kitesurfing, a new passion of mine that I discovered while traveling in Colombia; and hitchhiked more than 5000 km through Patagonia in Argentina and Chile, among other adventures!!

But now I've decided the time has come to pursue a goal of mine that I have not had the time to focus on yet - writing a novel! I have no idea if it will be any good, but I like my idea, and at least after trying it out I will know for sure one way or the other if I have what it takes to be a writer. Once of my least favorite feelings is to look back and wonder, "What if....?"

So here I go, taking the risk, come what may! And I have decided to pursue this goal while based in Rio de Janeiro. In my past three years of traveling in South America, even though I only spent 4 days in Rio, it really struck me as a city that has it all - hiking, kitesurfing, beaches to read on and run and play volleyball, dancing at night, delicious food, diversity, and most importantly, people with very big hearts and a good sense of fun. I also speak Portuguese as I lived in Sao Paulo as a child with my family due to my father's work.

As I've been traveling, the best memories are all centered around the people involved in them, so I try to make meaningful connections all along the way. The person you have by your side during an experience can make all the difference. So let's meet up and change each other's experiences.

~Next up~ Planning my first trip to Asia! Hopefully by June I will have finished my novel, and will be hitting the road again, to visit a part of the world that will be completely new to me!

Fully vaccinated

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To explore the world, and share my little corner of it with others (when I am in a stationary location).

Interests

I love exploring the outdoors- especially backpacking, climbing, and watersports like wakeboarding and kitesurfing. I also enjoy reading fiction and fantasy novels, playing board games, and trying new beers. And since doing my first 10-day Vipassana retreat in July '22 I have been meditating daily and trying to learn as much as I can to develop my mind.

• reading
• backpacking
• camping
• snorkeling
• wakeboarding
• racquetball
• learning languages
• slackline
• climbing
• kitesurfing

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Lived in the Galápagos islands for 3 months while teaching English

Teach, Learn, Share

I have learned Spanish and Portuguese pretty well by now, so I can teach the basics and am definitely down to practice and improve with any other speakers. And of course we can practice English ;) I have worked as an English teacher for both children and adults, so if you are a person who likes hosting foreigners as a means to improve your English, I'm your girl!

I have also done quite a bit of backpacking in national parks around the US so I can share stories and tips on any that you may be thinking of visiting.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, Colombia, United States