Hello !! My name is Elisa and I am a 20 year old, California-native exploring the world one day at a time !! I am currently living in Rome, Italy as an Au Pair. I am an identical twin and come from a family of 6, but I have a ton of family living in Germany, Italy, Mexico, Argentina, London, and Canada along with the United States.

I'm an opportunist and I love moving from city to city, so when an opportunity to travel comes my way, I never hesitate to drop everything and buy a plane ticket to my next destination. Although I am taking a leave of absence from school, when I get back to California I will be working towards my Linguistics and Italian undergraduate degrees at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

I am trying to learn Italian, so if you'd like, any help would be appreciated !! I'm not very good, so copious amounts of patience is appreciated as well :-)

I am also celiac and lactose-intolerant, which is a shame considering I'm living in Italy right now !! However, there are many gluten-free and lactose-free options, one just has to know what to look for and where to look !! However, I can always sustain myself on fruits, vegetables, rice, and nuts. I only put this bit about me on here because some hosts like to cook for their guests and if it's too difficult, I'm super adaptable, not a picky eater (with things I can eat), and very low-maintenance and am totally able to feed myself if need be !! It's never a problem !!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

This weekend (Sat. March 3rd - Monday March 5th), I'll be visiting a friend who lives in Leuven !!

I love to travel and couch surfing is a cheaper alternative to hostels and airbnbs !! It's also an efficient way to meet new people around the world who are willing to give their wisdom about the area and their experiences !!

Interests

• #music
• #hiking
• #art
• #languages
• #hitchhiking
• #wanderlust
• #newfood
• #globalfriends

Music, Movies, and Books

I've been studying music since I was 4 years old and I have played cello and piano, but my main instrument is my voice !! I am always willing to listen and enjoy/learn about new music of any genre !! As cheesy as I know it sounds, my favorite band of all time is the Beatles; they never let me down !! Show me music from your town and I'll give you some artists from California/the USA to check out !!

Before I was a Linguistics/Italian double major at UCSC, I was a Film Studies major, so I love-love-love movies. I'm super into psychological thrillers and horror movies, along with animations, comedies, and avant garde/abstract films from any era. Picking a favorite movie is way too hard for me, it changes all the time !! Right now, I'd say I'm going back and forth with The Life Aquatic, Nacho Libre, Love Actually, and The Basketball Diaries.

As for books, I read all the time. I'm currently reading 3 books; the first is Ta-Nehisi Coates' "Between the World and Me," which is about a Ta-Nehisi Coates writing a letter to his son about growing up as a black man in the United States. Secondly, I'm reading "Il Pesce che Scese dall'Albero" by Francesco Riva (one of my many, wonderful cousins !!) and it's about growing up dyslexic without many accommodations and how to get by. Lastly, I am reading "Speaker for the Dead" by Orson Scott Card, which is the sequel to Card's book, "Ender's Game" (which I hiiighly suggest reading first if you'd like to understand what's going on).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Took a Leave of Absence from my university to travel Europe.

I sang in the Sistine Chapel with my high school's Madrigal Choir when I was 15 years old !!

When I was 9 years old, I hiked in the snow with my nonna for 4 hours to our cabin in the middle of the mountains in only moonlight when our truck broke down and now I don't get cold very easily because that was by far the coldest night of my life.

I used to have a pet deer named Piccola.

Teach, Learn, Share

I grew up on a farm most of my life and my family has never been very wealthy, so I had to grow up fast. I would wake up at 5:30 am every morning (including on the weekends !!) to feed our farm animals and then get ready for school, take care of my siblings, and then go to my extra curricular activities, afterwards having to make dinner and do homework, while trying to go to bed in a timely manner (which never really worked out).

With my life experience, plus different jobs throughout the years, I truly appreciate the mindset of working hard in order to get what one wants. I'm not big on handouts unless they're deserved and I'm always willing to help out others because I know what it feels like to need it and not know how to ask !!

I have babysat and been a nanny for a little over 8 years and my last jobs in California were a ranch-hand, a barista, and a Residential Assistant (someone that oversees and helps out incoming freshman at the University).

What I Can Share with Hosts

If you'd like, I'm always willing to help anyone out with their English !! I've been a second-language English teacher for 4 years, so it's not a problem !!

I am always down to have a music/jam sesh, those are always so, so fun !! I'm also up for sharing traveling/life stories, being a travel buddy (or taking recommendations on what to see in your city), or sharing food culture (Americans are pretty fearless eaters and don't have a lot of food culture but I can make a mean pasta thanks to my nonna !!)

***down to teach you California slang/lingo since 'dude' isn't the only thing we say, I promise !!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Germany, Italy, Nepal, Netherlands, Spain, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Italy, United States