Hi! My name is Jessica Patel and I'm 27 years old. I graduated from university in 2014 and then went to the Dominican Republic to live and volunteer for my gap year. I taught English at a local school and in a batey (rural sugarcane village) and also volunteered in the Emergency Department of a local hospital and helped with medical clinics in the villages with teams that came down. Needless to say, I am fluent in Spanish and love speaking it so will teach anyone that wants to learn :)

I am graduating from medical school in a few months and will start my residency this June as an Emergency Medicine physician.

In the interim, I'm planning a solo-trip through SE Asia: visiting India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. So unfortunately I will not be at home to host anyone at this time. I am very respectful and do not take up much space - only traveling with my backpack.

I love traveling, learning languages, food (I'm a vegetarian), meeting new people, being by the water, and activities that really get my blood flowing (hence working as an ED doc).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I created this account to find local people to connect with when I am traveling. I've found that the local people I have met always have the best ideas on what to do or where to eat and that's what I'm looking for!

Interests

Traveling, reading, working out, music, soccer, and service work

• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• cliff jumping
• soccer
• languages
• volunteering

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Moved to the Dominican Republic for a year to volunteer! It was a huge leap out of my comfort zone to move alone - and to a different country at that. It was such an incredible experience and I hope to keep traveling as a part of my life.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, England, France, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Dominican Republic, United States