I am an international student from Venezuela. After participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program in Germany, I moved to the USA to pursue my degree in Developmental Economics. I have lived in Florida for 2 years and transferred 1 year ago to Columbia University.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am in Couchsurfing because there is nothing I more passionate about than traveling. I also love the community. When you stay with a fellow couchsurfers you have the opportunity to learn about the place you are visiting in a whole different way. You become a native and relationships that can unfold are priceless.

Interests

• traveling
• economics
• languages
• volunteering
• sustainability

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

During my year living in the city of Dortmund-Germany , I worked in a school support system for immigrant children whose parents didn’t speak German. I had the honorable opportunity of working with the bravest people of this world, immigrant children from Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, and many other countries. In the beginning, it was difficult because I did not speak any German, but as the weeks passed and I became more fluent in the language they started telling me their stories. Children who were only six years old could explain, in their broken German, the Syrian conflict better than any person I have ever met. It was heartbreaking to work with children who had their family and towns completely destroyed in front of their eyes by war. Sometimes they would come to me crying because the previous night they dreamed of their mom who was killed by a terrorist. At those moments I wanted to cry myself, but I had to be strong for them. After living all those stories through the eyes of the children, it was impossible to sit back and decide to do nothing about the causes that triggered their situation and that's how I decided to study Developmental Economics.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, United States, Venezuela