PLEASE CHECK MY CALENDAR BEFORE SENDING A REQUEST.

*PLEASE keep in mind that I AM NOT IN THIS PLATFORM TO FIND A DATE, but to host cool people and to make friends. Do not write to me with unsolicited flirting advances of any kind*

My name is Laura (Her/ella/elle) and I am a graduate student of Hispanic Studies at Boston College where I also teach Spanish to undergraduate students. I am a very curious person who loves to read, study and learn all the time. My main interests are literature (specially, but not limited to Latin American literature), animal studies, queer studies, masculinities studies, animal rights (I am vegan), vegan cuisine, intersectional feminism, swimming and music (I play some instruments and love to sing). I am not really into parties or anything too crowded because I get anxious, but if you like just having a cup of tea and talk, then I will be happy to join you. I live in Boston with my partner, Juan Manuel (https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/dearnoodles), and two lovely cats, Calila and Curry so if you are staying with us you have to like cats. Juan Manuel and I are both from Bogotá, Colombia, so ours is a Spanish speaking home, but we are more than happy to practice other languages. Having people staying at our place is something we enjoy, but please, if you ask to stay with us say Rumpelstinsky as a proof that you have read my profile. We love to cook and will be thrilled to learn new vegan recipes! During school terms I am usually very busy because I tend to participate in many extracurriculars, right now I swim and take part on a program about how to respond to sexual assault in campus, for example. But when I have guests I try my best to make some time for them and show them around.

HOUSE RULES:
- No animal products, please. We want to keep our home as cruelty free as we can.
- We are really trying to live in the most eco-friendly way that we can, so we appreciate if our guest do their best to be mindful about their use of resources (eg. water) and waste. We believe we must be responsible and care for this planet and other beings in it.
- The cats are part of the family and the are allowed everywhere in the house, and should be treated with respect.
- We love to share different points of view, but we have a 0 tolerance policy on violent statements (racism, sexist, transphobic, xenophobic, et all).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love to meet new people. I had the opportunity to study abroad twice as a teenager and it changed my life completely (both times)! Hope to keep having meaningful experiences as I host or travel.

Interests

• cats
• books
• civil rights
• cooking
• vegan
• swimming
• history
• feminism
• harry potter
• zero waste
• queer studies
• animal studies
• lgbtq
• animals rights
• masculinities studies

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: not too picky, just avoid anything mysoginist and I am more into acoustic genres. Don't have favorites (or maybe I have too many), love to discover new things. Right now I am obsessed with Bastille's new album "Doom Days", I will see them live this September.
Books: "Otra vez el mar" Reinaldo Arenas, "Querido primer novio" Zoé Valdés, "Al diablo la maldita primavera" Alonso Sánchez Baute, "El beso de la mujer araña" Manuel Puig, "En diciembre llegaban las brisas" Marvel Moreno", "La Plaza del diamante" Mercè Rodoreda, "Orlando" Virginia Woolf, "Half of a yellow sun" Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, "The sexual politics of meat" Carol J. Adams, "Los pasos perdidos" Alejo Carpentier and others.
Movies: first ones that come to mind are "Mustang" (2015) and "The Florida Project" (2018), but there are more.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Play in a orchestra of 100 cellist whith Mira Abu el Assal.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: Spanish, French, vegan cooking, things about Latin American literature, random animal fun facts.
Learn: anything. Specially languages (I need help with my German), new vegan recipes, crafts, DIY projects, random animal facts...anything. Love to learn.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A safe space for LGBTIQ+, POC, immigrants, and any kind of human being that is looking for a place to crash.
I like to listen, so anything you want to share or talk about will be fine: from weather to deep thoughts about the last movie you saw, it's fine. I can also share with you some stories about me and some things about my culture and the history of my country. I am open to almost all kind of conversations, but have no problem at all with sharing silence as well.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Colombia, France, United States