My name's Ellier and I'm currently living in Toronto. "Living" should be taken loosely, because my husband and I have a small house-sitting business (IG: mundohousesitters) and we're constantly moving from city to city, looking after adorable pets!

I used to be a high school science teacher (I've taught in Canada, China, and Bolivia), but since the pandemic, I've transitioned to the life of a digital nomad, now working in online education and EdTech volume staffing.

I love hiking, reading, learning languages, travelling, playing musical instruments and doing handicrafts (e.g. cross-stitching, jewelry making, crochet, etc.).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I enjoy meeting new people from all walks of life, sharing experiences, and exchanging stories. I've had such positive experiences hosting couchsurfers and being a couchsurfer myself, that I always look forward to the next time I can do it again!

Interests

- Reading (I carry an e-book almost everywhere)
- Hiking (my husband and I love discovering new trails every time we housesit in a new city)
- Language learning (I speak 4-6 languages, depending on what you consider "speaking")
- Musical instruments (piano, guitar, flute, drums, piccolo, ukulele)
- Education and technology (hence why I'm working in the EdTech industry)
- Sports (badminton, volleyball, table tennis)
- Handicrafts (cross-stitching, jewelry making, chainmail, crochet, etc.)
- Traveling (seen bits and pieces of 29 countries so far)
- Writing (I self-published a book last year called "30 Lessons I Learned Before 30")
- Meeting new people (so much to learn and discover from everyone I meet!)

• reading
• crochet
• hiking
• sports
• teaching
• languages
• exploring
• learning
• meeting new people
• startups
• arts and crafts
• musical instruments
• cross stitching

Music, Movies, and Books

I don't listen to a whole lot of music, unless someone else plays it in the background. If I'm listening to something, it's likely to be a podcast or an e-book.

Too many favorite books. We'll have to discuss this in person!

Books read in 2025 so far:
- Born a Crime (Trevor Noah)
- The Richest Man in Babylon (George Clason)
- Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents (Lindsay C. Gibson)
- The Everyday Hero Manifesto (Robin Sharma)
- The Meaning of Mariah Carey (Mariah Carey)
- Tough (Terry Crews)
- Brave New Words (Salman Khan from KhanAcademy, whom I just saw recently)
- Currently reading Food for Life (Tim Spector) and Outlive (Peter Attia)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Self-published my first book in July 2024! Title: "30 Lessons I Learned Before 30: An Ordinary Girl's Journey Through Three Decades of Growth and Discovery" (Available on Amazon worldwide. All profits are going to schools in Mozambique and Malawi.)

A close second would be either driving a Go Kart in a dinosaur onesie around the streets of Osaka or snorkeling with sea creatures in the Galapagos.

(Maybe marrying someone in my fourth language or paying off my student loans one year after graduation due to geoarbitrage could be considered amazing to some people too.)

Teach, Learn, Share

I have lots of fun and crazy travel stories to share (though I'd love to hear more of yours!). I can teach you some phrases in different languages (English, Chinese, French, Spanish).

I'm open to learning anything new!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Many fun travel/life stories, friendship, language exchange, and exciting activities (hopefully haha)!

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bolivia, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bolivia, Canada, China, Peru