Hi everyone. Joe and I currently don't live in Leeds but very often visit it and have lots of friends interested in hosting adventurous travellers. So if Leeds is on your way, don't hesitate to drop us a message and we'll do our best to help you in your travels. Eliana

ABOUT ME

Eliana:
Hey! I am a 21 year old student from the University of Leeds (studying International Business and Marketing). I'm originally from Bulgaria, but moved to the UK to study in September last year, & really like it. Even though I am the quieter one of the two of us, I'm definitely still a social person and really enjoying spending time getting to know people, and hearing about their stories. For a few years now, I have taken quite an active role in lots of European-wide education program's aimed at young people, which has meant I've been able to travel to places like Portugal, Italy and France, meeting people from all over Europe in process. I love debating and discussing things, whether it is books or films, and politics and current affairs.

Joe:
I, too, am an undergraduate at University of Leeds, studying Spanish and International Development. I'm 21 and very social, but really enjoy writing and playing music and reading in my spare time (so we're always up for playing some music or book swapping!). Before Uni, I spent a year travelling in Spanish speaking countries, passing 4 months working in a children's refuge in the favelas of Lima, Peru, and then afterwards completing the Camino de Santiago (to raise money for the children's refuge) in Spain. I've been lucky enough to travel quite a bit, and I now seize every opportunity to see more of the world. Both Eliana and I prefer seeing countries and travelling from the perspective of the local people, always trying to avoid tourist traps, which is why we think CouchSurfing is so great.

PHILOSOPHY

I love learning - whether it is about people, things I am interested in or even things I have never heard about. I believe there is a way to improve myself from people I meet and their experience.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I would like to both host people and visit them, make new friends and improve the Couchsurfing community.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I haven't used Couchsurfing so far but I have known about this website for years and many of my friends recommended it.

Interests

Eliana: efficiency, psychological movies, photography, things that perfectly fit, kids
Joe: playing/writing music, cooking, speaking Spanish
Both: reading, being outdoors, board games, spicy food, travelling!

• writing
• books
• photography
• education
• dining
• cooking
• clubbing
• pub crawls
• shopping
• politics
• movies
• board games
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• outdoor activities
• business
• teaching
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

Thriller movies - the weirder, the better.
Donnie Darko, Limitless, Se7en, Fight Club (even though I am breaking the first rule now), Memento, The Prestige, Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, Shutter Island, and many more.

Music - I've been into deep/chill house lately. Not the typical house music; chilled songs, with nice and catchy melody:

Some books we have recently read: "Fiesta: The sun also rises" - Hemingway. "The Outsider" - Albert Camus. "Naïve. Super" - Erland Loe. "The Little Prince" - Antoine du Saint Exupery.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I believe the first time I travelled with my bestfriend (we were 16 and 15) to Italy is one of the most amazing experiences I've had. We were on a training project in Palermo with 20+ other people from different countries in Europe. I was the first time for both of us to go abroad alone and probably the fact that we had to deal on our own made it even more exciting. We got lost, found each other, went through various "dangerous" parts in Palermo, met amazing people (some of which we still keep in touch with) and generally had a great experience.

Teach, Learn, Share

Did you know that Plovdiv (in Bulgaria) is the oldest city in Europe? This is Eli's home town and it's a beautiful place full with archaeological monuments, cute little houses from different historical ages, a modern part with shopping centres and beautiful parks and gardens around the town. Leeds, where we are now based is a brilliant University town in the north of England with loads of great parks, beautiful countryside, big clubs or quiet pubs.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bulgaria, United Kingdom