Hi,

I'm Raquel Leiva Velasco and I'm 26 years old/ You could easily google my name and find that I was a Miss Deaf Australia 2013.

I love travelling and meeting people. But I usually do not make the first move and say hi as I am shy and literally unsure of what to do and what to say. I'm deaf, l love to take photos for my travel photography as my instagram is withlovemilka if you are keen on looking at my photos. YES I can communicate well orally if you're worried about communicating with me,

I've had my first taste of couch surfing in munich. I was really lucky to find a place to stay as I was pretty broke before I could fly back home to Australia.

And I host deaf backpackers in my spare time and I always help them find work on their working holiday visa to the best I can do. If you have hosted me, I am more likely to host you in return as I'm a firm believer in the saying: "what you give is what you get back in return."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I'm hosting, I always tell my backpackers / guests that "mi casa es su casa" - my home is your home.
And I always will make time for someone to show them around. I don't drive, and I don't have a car, but I am a foodie and I always know exactly where is good places to eat at.

I'm not keen for the whole touristy touristy thing, but sights are pretty awesome though, but through local perspective. I really would like to try couchsurfing and decide if it is really safe for a deaf woman such as me to travel on those means.

Interests

Travel, photography, history, books, food and music.

Food is life, and life is food.

• books
• photography
• dining
• flying
• politics
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• surfing
• history
• sign language

Music, Movies, and Books

I have yet to find a favourite. I seem to like alot of things.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Succeded in learning to read, write, and speak in German as a deaf person. I was told I was too deaf and I wouldn't succeed.

Teach, Learn, Share

I've worked as a aupair teaching English.

I teach sign language to little kids and anyone I meet whos curious about my language.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Anything. Just communicate with me about what you are looking for.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, Serbia, South Korea, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Croatia, Germany