I'm a doctor (of the PhD kind, lol) from the north of Spain, you know, the place that is never featured in stereotypes and is radically different to what foreigners think Spain is. I'm currently living and working in Atlanta, USA, for as long as they'll have me, or 5 years (maximum postdoc time here), whatever happens first.

I'm also an avid traveler, as far as time and budget allows me. Not really of the backpacking kind, but I do love to go wherever, go out of the usual way to discover new stuff and try out whatever the new place might offer. I like "getting crash-courses" in local life, what can I say!

I also like learning languages. I've formally learnt a few of the usual ones, but one thing I always try to do is to learn the basic phrases of whichever language they speak where I'm at (please, thank you, my name is, and of course, "sorry, I don't speak [language]"). My haphazard attempts are usually received with good humor and sociability ("thank you" in Russian got me a free beer, and in Polish got me a shot of vodka), and sometimes even discounts, like knowing "hello" in Mayan!

... And since I can't really think of anything else right now, let's just say I have many more layers waiting to be discovered, that I like chatting of anything and everything, and that to know more, you'll have to let me surf your couch.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love travelling, and I know how hard it is sometimes to get to do it (lack of time, of money, of ways to get to certain places...), so I joined in hopes of profiting from this wonderful idea to get to meet awesome people everywhere I go. I'm currently settling in a new place, so I don't even have a couch yet (I'm browsing the IKEA website as I write this), but as soon as I do, I'll be offering it.

Interests

Travelling (of course!), reading, table games, cuisine... My cooking abilities have been often praised, so I guess it's not only out of duty that they compliment them! And after a couple visits from foreign friends, apparently I've discovered a new talent in being a tour guide...

• culture
• cooking
• recipes
• sauna
• partying
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• kayaking
• snorkeling
• swimming
• languages
• science
• study abroad
• tourism
• cultural immersion
• beaches

Music, Movies, and Books

A group: the Corrs, although I listen to very different kinds of music (from classical to heavy metal, from pop to rap).

A book: the last Caton (Matilde Asensi), although I have too many books in my favorite list to put them all here... let's just say, I like fiction more, and if it has sci-fi and/or magic in it, I'll like it.

A movie: the Truman Show, although I mostly love commercial, Hollywood-style blockbusters, specially superhero movies, but will watch stuff that I'm recommended, like artsy French films or obscure Russian movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Snorkeling in the coral reefs in Mexico.
Jumping from 12 metres height into a cenote (underground lake).
Swimming in a frozen lake in Finland (combining it with sauna).
Riding a limousine around Saint Petersburg while drinking champagne.
Navigate in a gondola through Venice.
Taking a cruise Turku-Stockholm and back, without stopping (11 hours in each direction) just for the sake of partying on the boat.
Sleeping under the stars in the Arctic Polar Circle (ok, it was at its border in Rovaniemi, and in July... but still, it was 5ºC at 5 AM!)
Decide to have a bachelor party in Bulgaria because it's easier to get everyone together there than any other option (blessed be Ryanair).

And one I do often, because it's in the Spanish gene: have "no plans" for an evening, and end up going home with sunrise after awesome legendary partying. The most epic was probably in Amsterdam, where I did it with two girls I randomly met in a cheese shop.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm willing to exchange language knowledge, not only about the ones I declare in my profile, but about any language that anyone wants to teach me, and I shall teach back from what I know. Also, I'm willing to give away delicious recipes (or even cook them live, if time and ingredients allow), and I know quite a bunch of them!

BTW, I usually carry, if luggage allows, random specialties from my place that I give out to hosts or friends I make on the trip. It was something that started out randomly, but now became kind of a tradition.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Well, what's said in the previous section. I would also share my willingness to be taken around and be shown random places my host thinks are cool. I just go with the flow!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Sweden, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Finland, Ireland, Spain, United Kingdom