Hi! Bonjour! Hola!

I'm Lauren and I love discovering and exploring new places, meeting new people and sharing cultures. I was born and raised in a bilingual city so I am very used to having conversations with more than one language involved or switching from one language to another without a second thought about it. I love the great outdoors as much as I love big, bustling cities. When it comes to the natural environment I love snowboarding, camping, hiking, and sun-bathing. As for cities, I love being surrounded by all the interesting people, events, arts, culture, nightlife, and food! The world is such a beautiful place and I'm along for one heck of a ride around it!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm here especially to travel frugally as well as meet wonderful like-minded people. I have often been accommodated so warmly by locals throughout my travels that it makes me want do the same for travelers when they come to my city. I feel like this is a shared sentiment amongst folks in the couchsurfing community and I just want to be a part of it!

Interests

One of my ideal activities is going to see live music! Share the music of your local talents with me and you can guarantee I will have a blast. I'm no professional chef but I do love cooking, especially as a way of bringing people together around preparing and enjoying a meal. I love discovering beautiful outdoor spots, whether on the beaten path or not. Any place that has a special something; beautiful views, rich history, natural phenomena is a place worth seeing to me. I also love browsing market places and could spend hours checking out artisanal creations, trying interesting new snacks, and simply exploring such dense and colourful places!

• pets
• arts
• architecture
• street art
• photography
• concerts
• festivals
• salsa dancing
• dining
• cooking
• hip-hop music
• cycling
• hiking
• beaches
• vegetarianism
• outdoors

Music, Movies, and Books

Hip-hop makes my heart beat. Conscious hip-hop. As well as funk, soul, and R&B. Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Noname, Mick Jenkins, Solange, Isaiah Rashad, The Internet, etc. I also love salsa, cumbia, and latin-american music that I am especially connected to when I'm in places where that music is rooted.

I love reading and am open to most genres of literature. Fantasy and other fiction, history, social theory, poetry, feminist literature, etc. Books I've read and loved include: Cider House Rules, The Power of One, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, Ken Follet's Century Trilogy, The Game of Thrones series, The Hobbit, Crime and Punishment, and my childhood favourite Charlotte's Web.

In movies I enjoy dramas, comedies, stories based on true events, documentaries, etc. Favourites include Forest Gump, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and It's a Wonderful Life.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One of my fondest memories is paddling along a mangrove forest where a freshwater river meets the saltwater sea on the Pacific coast of Colombia. We were guided by a local in a really skinny and precarious boat. He showed us all the different species of crabs who inhabit the ecosystem and led us to a water hole hidden away in the forest among a multi-level cliff to dive off of!

I've also had the privilege of attending prayers at Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco - the largest mosque in Africa. It was a very special ceremony as the Imam was finishing his reading of the Koran as the sacred period of Ramadan was coming to an end. This was actually made possible to me through a couchsurfing experience! The family we stayed with lent me a hijab and traditional dress and allowed me to accompany them in one of their most important religious traditions. It was an absolute honour.

The rest I'll save for when we meet!

Teach, Learn, Share

I am always looking for a salsa partner! Teach me how to play a musical instrument, or a new sport such as surfing or rock climbing! I'm also a very amateur photographer and appreciate any tips and tricks in the art of immortalizing moments.

I can teach/share some basic gardening and growing skills, vegetarian recipes, snowboarding skills, yoga practice, and the languages I speak!

Countries I’ve Visited

Colombia, Ecuador, France, Italy, Morocco, Nicaragua, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Colombia