Hello!

My name is Desirée (Sira in short) and I finally got the freedom to go for a whole year to explore the world!

I never seemed to be satisfied with the amount of travel I managed while working, so finally got a gap year to be able to savour and feel the different places in the planet.

So here we are, my husband Gwyn - also 44 and Welsh - and I, starting our Honeymoon year!
Our first Stop is New Zealand (after 4 flights and almost 48h of travel). We are planning to go to South East Asia next, and we'll see where the tide brings us!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is an absolutely fantastic way of having experiences, helping and connecting with different types of people, who you might not have the opportunity to meet otherwise.
I'm in Couchsurfing to learn from others and give what I have.

Interests

Learning new things, music, travelling, cultures, books, science, languages, exploring, hiking, ruins, arts in general, good food, freestyle dancing, ...

I love to read and I read around 30 books a year (between listening and reading).
I would love to write too, but never found the drive again, after I stopped writing when I started uni. Maybe this is the moment to restart or maybe I will find other passions on my path.

I would like to try speleology, but don't know where to start. And other experiences I'd love to have or expand are such as volunteering teaching, rebuilding something or unearthing something, paragliding, explore abandoned places, find out about local festivities and customs, ... I have quite a long wish list actually :)

• books
• concerts
• dancing
• cooking
• board games
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• languages
• science
• language exchange
• sustainability
• theatre
• good food
• learning new things
• climbing
• steampunk
• caving
• local culture
• assertiveness
• local festivals
• freestyle dancing

Music, Movies, and Books

I love horror films (and many more).
I love fantasy books (and many more).
I listen to indie, Spanish pop, rock, blues rock, trip hop, dark electronic, fusion styles such as flamenco rock, flamenco chill or electronic reggae. And many more.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When life gets in the way, managing to organize a sabbatical, drop everything, hope for the best, step outside of my comfort zone and embark for a year-long trip feels amazing to me!

Teach, Learn, Share

I love cooking, I would like both to learn recipes from countries I visit or from hosts and guests and teach recipes I know.
I can help others go through difficult times or decisions, using assertiveness.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook some Spanish and Catalan dishes, Gwyn can cook some great dishes too!
I can talk Spanish if they want to practice, Gwyn can help with English or Welsh.
I can listen if they want to talk.
We will always be kind and grateful!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Wales