Howdy! I'm Marisol but I like to go by Sol. 🌞

May 2024 Update

After traveling for over a year around Europe, northern Africa, and the US, I finally decided to settle down for a bit and figure out how to make traveling and international culture exchange a part of my life moving forward. When I traveled, I often relied on the kindness of others and I'd like to start paying it forward. 🙂

I'm very new to Philly and still exploring it myself. I'm mostly looking to meet up with international friends but open to last minute/emergency requests on a case by case basis because of my small living space.

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After focusing on school and work for so long, living through a pandemic, and ending nearly decade long relationship, I got to a point in my life where I really needed to do something for myself and to grow as a person. After ending my job and getting rid of most of my stuff, I'm currently on a months-long solo trip around Europe and Northern Africa.

I'm also on a journey to learn more about myself and who I am. I've joked that this trip has been like exposure therapy and it's true! I've done so many things I never imagined myself doing. I'm so grateful for my experiences and the people I've met along the way. The kindness of strangers all over the world continues to amaze me.

I've been on international trips before but this is the first time I'm solo traveling, especially for so long. I'm learning how to be a traveler, not just a tourist, by learning about the cities that I visit from a local.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've known about CS for a while but I didn't know that cultural exchange is at the heart of it. Now I've heard so many stories of people learning about other cultures through CS and I'd really like the chance to do the same.

I'm looking to learn about different communities and make friendships. I hope one day I can return the favor and make friends to host in USA.

Interests

I have lots of interests: cooking and baking, arts, history, and culture.

I love geography so much I have 2 geography degrees and I like talking to anyone who will listen about what geography is all about. (It might not be what you think it is!)

I love anything to do with art and design and exploring museums. I like learning about people's art hobbies and interests. I think everyone is born creative, it just needs to be nurtured.

I'm also interested in non-profit work and volunteering. I've been volunteering since I was a teenager and have always enjoyed it. It's important to me to have a job that promotes community development.

More than anything I love food. I love cooking and baking and eating but my favorite is food culture and logistics. I've had jobs in food service but my favorite jobs have been working at an urban farm in New York and working at a food bank in Seattle. I think one of the best ways of getting to know a different culture is through food. One of my favorite things to do when traveling is visit markets and grocery stores.

• pets
• arts
• design
• photography
• diy
• walking
• crafts
• gardening
• knitting
• painting
• drawing
• music
• hiking
• camping
• geography
• history
• travel
• food
• biking
• museums
• farming
• illustration
• culture exchange
• petsitting
• cooking and baking
• volunteerism
• public transportation
• community development
• gis
• non-profits
• hiking and camping
• ethical travel
• food history

Music, Movies, and Books

I love indie, alternative, rock, funk, dance/electronic/house, and fusion music. I like discovering new artists and my music library is pretty random. I love getting new music recommendations. :) My favorite artists changes every couple of weeks!

For books I mostly like non-fiction about various topics like DIY, history, and art and photography.

I like all kinds of movies but lately I've been watching a lot of bad movies from the 80s and 90s as well as cult classics.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Getting to visit Machu Picchu is one of the coolest things I've done! But I would also include studying abroad in Thailand and seeing the Milky Way when I was camping.

Teach, Learn, Share

As a Mexican-American, I like to share my food and culture and I'd love to learn about yours.

I'm interested in learning anything and everything about your passions (especially food!!).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good company and good conversation, especially about food!
Since I have some farming and gardening experience, I'm happy to offer help whether in the form of labor or how-to advice.

In addition to what's expected, I can help around the house if ever needed (pet care included 🙂).

I can also cook a meal from my culture - American, Mexican, or Tex-Mex!

I'm bilingual and can offer English practice or basic Spanish practice.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Thailand, United States