ABOUT ME

I laugh. sometimes inappropriately loud, I think it comes with being Latin. It's definitely a family thing. I grew up in different places all over the United States in Mexico. I was born in California, moved to Mexico for 5 years, and currently live in Georgia though I go to the university in California.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I just joined in October of '09 and I have been traveling all over Europe. I have not been able to host because of this, but I would love to meet up with other courchsurfers for coffee or a drink during my travels, or here in Barcelona when I am in town.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I just courchsurfed for the first time in Rome, and it was fantastic. My host really made my experience, since I got to hang out with Italians instead of just spending all day simply seeing the sights, which of course is also a must. I am definitely going to CS everytime I go to a new city, it's a great way to meet people.

Interests

I study environmental anthropology and environmental engineering--the relationship between humans and the environment.. so my academic interests are in the environment, sustainable development; specifically water and sanitation in developing countries

I love the outdoors, camping, kayaking, nature walks, hiking..I LOVE dancing, especially latin (salsa, merengue, bachata, samba)..cooking, reading, art and history museums. Also love photography, and blogging when I have the time. And learning languages! currently working on Portuguese, with hopes of spending the summer in Manaus, Brazil. Also, Recently started doing capoeira and yoga!

• arts
• photography
• dancing
• bachata
• capoeira
• environment
• cooking
• coffee
• yoga
• drinking
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• blogging
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kayaking
• camping
• anthropology
• engineering
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite movies are too many to count, but a few include:
Como Agua para Chocolate, Planet Earth, La Ley de Erodes, Cidade de Deus, La Vita e Bella, Amelie, Love Actually, August Rush, Sexo Pudor y Lagrimas, Good Will Hunting Y Tu Mama Tambien, Cinema Paradiso
Love documentaries with a political theme: World According to Monsanto, Thirst, John Pilger's work, Hearts and Minds, Manufacturing Consent, etc. In a parallel universe I would be a documentary filmmaker or photojournalist.

I enjoy literature immensely, though I rarely get to read 'for pleasure' while I am at the University. Fiction and poetry that I like includes authors like Cortázar, Saramago, García Márquez, Neruda, Octavio Paz.. Though for pleasure is in quotes because I usually highly enjoy reading for my classes, everything from political theory to development reports, I eat it up.

Music is also complicated, and my tastes are really eclectic. I like a little bit of everything except heavy metal or anything too commercial, prefer oldies.. I'll get into this later, but I will say that when I go out at night, what I enjoy the most is a good beer or a glass of wine and a live band at a bar, mostly jazz, salsa, funk, etc. Though I also like discoteques because I love to dance, this is recently more my scene.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I guess the most amazing thing I have experienced has been spending the summer of 2009 traveling in rural Senegal. This was the farthest extreme I could have experienced from my life in the United States. If you want to hear more about it, ask me!

Teach, Learn, Share

If I could teach one thing, it's to spread the message about the state of sanitation in the developing world, and what innovation can do to help. this is a great short article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rose-george/how-to-save-the-world-wit_b_334223.html

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, Czech Republic, France, Senegal

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, Spain, United States

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