Hey there! I'm Raquel. Although I live in Australia and have a Spanish name, my family is Italian and Greek and I have a deep-rooted connection with the former.

I grew up in a regional town in South Australia before moving to Adelaide and later Melbourne. For the better part of a decade, I have been a journalist and editor for a newspaper, but I recently quit my job and am travelling for a while - Europe and South America are on my list - but plans are likely to change!

I have a constant yearning for knowledge - whether it be through continual academic study or through travelling and seeing countries, cultures and people. I am a hardcore bibliophile, a music addict and love a robust political discussion. Geopolitics is my jam and I have a very strong interest in Middle East and North Africa affairs. I also enjoy not heeding to warnings and travelling to countries within these regions.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To gain a better understanding about cultures and places different to mine.

Interests

Music, international politics, travelling and photography. I spend a lot of time out and about taking photos for both work and pleasure. I love film photography so when I'm not shooting, I'm playing alchemist in my laundry/darkroom. I like surfing but unfortunately my local is not conducive to decent waves. I have played the drums for 15 years and I have recently started messing around with electronic music production.

• culture
• photography
• cooking
• politics
• traveling
• music
• surfing
• communications
• psychology

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: At the moment I have been thrashing tech and acid house (think Solardo, John Summit, Offaiah, SOSA, Eli Brown, CamelPhat etc). However, some of my classic loves include Chili Peppers, Tool, Nirvana, The XX, N.W.A/Ice Cube, Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Madonna, Friendly Fires, Bjork ,Yeasayer, The Knife, A Perfect Circle, Ladytron, Silversun Pickups, Chemical Brothers, MS MR, School of Seven Bells.

Movies : The Silence of the Lambs, Gone Girl, Party Monster, Jawbreaker, Alice in Wonderland, Serial Mom, Heathers, Pulp Fiction, Anchorman, Zoolander, Gone With The Wind, and most documentaries.

Books: Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, Brave New World, Steal This Book, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill A Mockingbird, Gone Girl.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Marching in solidarity/photographing Ukrainian militants vying for peace and spending Christmas in Bethlehem share top place. Everything about North Korea was amazing. Narrowly avoiding being killed during the 2017 Kirkuk Crisis was not amazing at the time, but on reflection was fairly mad.

Teach, Learn, Share

Compassion, culture, consciousness.

What I Can Share with Hosts

An insight to typical Australian country life and stories relating to my former metropolis life including where to go out on any night of the week. Secret tips on how to make the perfect continental sauce thanks to Nonna.

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Czech Republic