Hi :)

I'm Amy, a 25 year old from Wollongong Australia. I'm a Social Worker doing a Masters in Social Change & Development which is to do with supporting people in third world countries. Over the past 6 years i have worked with people in; disability, trauma, child abuse and homelessness. So according to my logic, if you don't host me that probably means you hate poor, disabled, children who are traumatised and homeless and that is really NOT cool. Shame on you.

If you havn't picked up already, i have a sarcastic sense of humour and i often laugh at myself. I enjoy being around people who don't take life too seriously!

I have lived in Australia, Canada & USA and have traveled lots of Asia and the Americas. I recently relocated to Edinburg, which is an awesome city! For my next adventure in a couple of weeks il be heading to Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary! Then in September i'l be traveling through Sri Lanka. I'm really excited to see as much as i can and meet many friendly faces along the way.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am on couch surfing for a couple of reasons. I will be traveling by myself and i think couch surfing is a great way to meet locals who have some inside knowledge.

I havn't used couch surfing much myself but my brother has spent the majority of his adult life overseas and he directs people from all over the place to come stay with me in my home town as well as my own visiters from when i lived in Canada and the states. So i guess you could say i'm a super unofficial couch surfer from way back.

Interests

Besides the obvious interests that we have in common with the whole couch surfing family (traveling and meeting people) i really enjoy wine, cheese and social justice.

• cooking
• politics
• traveling
• social work
• beaches
• socialising

Music, Movies, and Books

I have somewhat of a short attention span so i don't watch movies and read often but when i do i enjoy reading non-fiction (please don't hate on me that i havn't read Harry Potter i'm a really nice person i promise!).

As far as movies go i prefer horror movies and 90's rom coms. I'm talkin' Halloween & 10 things i hate about you!

When i watch T.V. its usually reality based but my spectrum of reality is really broad and somewhat conflicting. I could happily go from watching crime and science documentaries to watching geordie shore. Basically, i don't know where to drawn the line.

Oh the old "what type of music do you listen to?" question. It often comes with a lot of judgement and can make or break you on a first date. I will dig my own grave by being the first one to admit that in my youth i was a bit of a wannabe punk, different coloured hair dyes and all. I really enjoyed going to concerts like pennywise, nofx, streetlight manifesto, bad religion, dropkick murphies, frenzal rhomb, anti-flag.... you get the picture. On the plus side i never got into One Direction. But i mean, can you believe Zane left? What the hell!

These days my taste in music is much more diverse and ever expanding. The week before i came overseas i saw James Vincent McMorrow at the Opera house, it was mind blowing. I like being recommended artists i havn't heard of and going to festivals and dancing or chilling out in the sun. It's so cliche to say "i enjoy all music", but erm..... i enjoy all music.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Raised a grumpy pit bull pup and watched her flourish into the charming young woman we know and love today.

In my line of work i have the opportunity to support others doing amazing things everyday. While i'v been lucky enough to travel to lots of places and do and see lots of things the first thing that came into my head when i thought of something amazing i have done are all the small things iv done are the things like over a period of months teaching somebody with an intellectual disability how to make a cup of tea, until they can do it without help or supporting a child with behavioural issues to communicate more effectively in a class room and being able to witness their progress. It sounds all mushy i know but overtime I have learnt to understand that there is no such thing as an achievement that's too small.

Teach, Learn, Share

If you could teach me to juggle, that'd be great. Be warned though, i' pretty uncoordinated.

I know how to do a magic trick with cards. The golden rule of all magicians is that "a magician never shares his tricks". So you can imagine how big of a deal it would be for me to share this information with my host......... which is exactly why i'm not going to do it. I can, however, cook you the perfect fried eggs. You probably don't wanna miss that.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share food, wine and my soul. But really i'm a super clean and chilled out person who loved traveling and making new friends along the way. I love seeing the world and exploring new cities but when i'm back home reflecting on my favourite part of my traveling i tend to think first of the people before i think about the places. The diversity of people with different life experiences and culture is what makes traveling what it is. I hope to share conversation and friendships where ever i go.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, England, Fiji, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, United States, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Canada, Scotland, United States