Hi, my name is Maya. I live in Denver, Colorado, USA. I work as a baker at a local bakery, making different kinds of bread and pastries. I also work as a substitute teacher at a Montessori school. The children I work with bring me so much joy, and being a teacher has turned out to be an endless learning process! I've worked on many community projects over the years, including student organizing, facilitating groups for kids affected by intimate partner violence, and starting a free bike shop in my old neighborhood. Currently, I write letters and share art with people in prison. I also play the piano and sing (mostly to myself ;), while gradually teaching myself how to produce music electronically. I love being outdoors and enjoying the beautiful mountains in Colorado. One of the things I find most therapeutic to do in the mountains (or the desert) is listen to electronic music! I'm fascinated by the in-between, the space where what impacts us and how we create and perpetuate it come together. I'm interested in having conversations about our feelings and dreams and what's real and what's possible, and I believe that positivity ultimately comes through pain and struggle. I hope to share more of my experiences through writing and eventually do some research around mental health, trauma, and social justice.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

CS is amazing and I'm grateful it has existed all this time. I couchsurfed in Mexico in 2010, and a bit in the U.S. and Europe.

I now live in a big community house where we host Couchsurfers frequently, mostly through the account of my housemate Tovio. It feels good to be able to reciprocate the generosity that hosts have shown me, and it is always fun and rewarding to meet travelers from around the world.

CS, in my opinion, is the best way to travel and have cultural exchange!

Interests

A random list: making and listening to music, cooking, baking, group bike rides, dance, aerial arts and "social circus," gardening, tending to plants, fermenting all kinds of things, being vulnerable whenever possible, political sociology, US/Latin American relations, dismantling oppression, memes, puns, laughter, outer space.

• cats
• chickens
• writing
• singing
• dancing
• cooking
• baking
• reading
• drawing
• music
• piano
• cycling
• hiking
• teaching
• sociology
• queer
• mental health
• aliens
• cactus
• intersectional feminism
• the multiverse

Music, Movies, and Books

Music- electronic, folk, experimental, jazz, punk, hip hop, R n B, pop...pretty much all genres, and especially music that blends and transcends genre

Movies- Waking Life, Pan's Labyrinth, Baraka, I Heart Huckabees, Waltz with Bashir, Triplets of Belleville, Paprika, Arrival, anything sci-fi. I'm also a big Steven Universe fan.

Books- Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, The Invisibles by Grant Morrison, Eduardo Galeano, Kanai Mieko, Tom Robbins, Murakami, non-fiction

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Survived

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share skills with bike repair, baking, and piano. I love learning about people and would love to engage in conversation with you about any and everything. I'd love to cook a great meal/dessert for you and everyone in your space!

Countries I’ve Visited

Colombia, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Spain, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Argentina, Chile, United States

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