(To request a stay, check out "My Home" section.)

In the spring of 2017, I saved up as much money as I could from my tutoring job and finally took a yearlong sabbatical. Since I had moved to Ohio, more than seven years ago, I had only taken a single week-long vacation when my best friend visited.

I was too busy worrying about paying my parents' mortgage and my graduate student loans. All I could focus on was getting out of debt and took (almost) every opportunity to work with new students, no matter how late the hour or how long my daily commute was. I was burning myself out yet hated every minute I was stuck in traffic not working. I would often get home late, completely exhausted, to scarf down dinner and crash into my bed. The next day would be more of the same.

Don't get me wrong. I was glad and grateful to help students and worked with some incredibly nice, generous, and welcoming families throughout years. Tutoring is very rewarding for me because I get to help others understand the subjects that I had enjoyed in school (without always having to worry about grading, hahaha). But I had tunnel vision. My main concern was debt.

Nonetheless, as my dad's health deteriorated due to advanced Alzheimer's disease, I realized that I could not keep putting off a time to relax and travel again. He had been a bustling workaholic right until he could no longer do his job and had not been able to take a step back from his hectic life until it was too late. I knew I didn't want to continue that vicious cycle, so I chose a different route.

Before I turned 30, I started the transition to a plant-based (now vegan) diet. I also began exercising again slowly as I had neglected it for far too long. Moreover, I learned about the benefits of (intermittent) fasting and have incorporated it into my life. I have lost 52 pounds from my heaviest weight. My maximum was 352 pounds.

Additionally, I have reconnected and visited dear old friends I had not seen since I left the Dominican Republic
for college back in 2004. In fact, I just stayed for a whole month with my best friend and her family. (They're amazing like that.) Thanks to her, I was able to temporarily escape the freezing subzero temperatures of the Midwest and enjoy a few swims in the Caribbean and multiple fun trips to La Zona Colonial. I also was able to attend her sister's beautiful wedding and spend time with new friends. I look forward to visiting more often.

I guess this is my long-winded way of saying that I enjoy traveling, meeting new people, and learning more about the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

One of the things that I learned during my stay with my best friend's family is that you learn so much more about a place when you spend most of your time with the wonderful people who live there.

My last big trip that I am planning for this sabbatical is a 3-month trip to Germany and Austria. My intention is to learn as much German as I can. A few years ago, I was intrigued by the videos of polyglots on YouTube (e.g. Benny Lewis, Lucas Lampariello, Steve Kaufmann, Alexander Arguelles, etc.). Since then, I have wanted to learn a language for the sheer fun of it. I have already started going over the basics (e.g. Guten Tag! Ich heiße Stefano. Wie geht's? Ich bin Amerikaner. Ich spreche Englisch und Spanisch. Ich lerne auch Deutsch. ).

As such, I would like to use couchsurfing to create more of an immersive experience. I would like to speak with locals who live and breath German everyday. I want to learn about their language and customs and get a glimpse of their daily lives. I would also like to understand perspectives other than my own. I want to meet open-minded people who want to share their history and culture with me and help me learn their native tongue by using their own stories.

I also want to try something new and different just because it's possible. Although I am a bit nervous about making a fool out of myself while trying to speak in German, I want to commit to this challenge to help me grow in new ways and meet kind and friendly people along the way. I look forward to this new adventure.

Interests

• vegan
• organic food
• walking
• anime
• hiking
• biology
• chemistry
• mathematics
• sightseeing
• beaches
• nature
• english
• german
• plants
• organic gardening
• vegan food
• austria
• botanical gardens
• germany
• vegan cooking
• spanish
• walking around
• english language
• nature walks
• speaking spanish
• teaching english
• disney movies
• nature conservation
• learning german
• tutor

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of the books I would love to read again:
-The main Harry Potter series (books 1-7) by J. K. Rowling
-Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and the first half of Inheritance (the latter half, post Galbatorix, was infuriating) by Christopher Paolini
-The Silmarilion by J. R. R. Tolkien
-The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
-Volar sobre el Pantano por Carlos Cuauhtemoc Sanchez
-El Espejo Enterrado por Carlos Fuentes
-The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point, The Lost Symbol, and Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
-The Magician's Nephew and Prince Caspian (I need to finish reading the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia) by C. S. Lewis
-A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
-The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin

On the rare chance that I remember to set up a playlist, these are some of the songs that tend to repeat:
-My Number by Foals (I could listen to this song for hours while doing chores...in fact, I already have)
-Safe and Sound by Capital Cities
-Rather Be by Clean Bandit
-Young Blood by The Naked and Famous
-Youth by Daughter
-Ho Hey by The Lumineers
-Relax, Take it Easy by MIKA (I recommend listening to this while writing a thesis)
-Like the Deserts Miss the Rain by Everything but the Girl
-I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew
-Every Breath You Take by The Police
-I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas
-Clarity by Zedd
-Feel Your Love by Kim Sozzi
-Be Prepared (from the Lion King, one of my favorites growing up)
-Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday
-Starboy by The Weeknd
-Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics

These are some movies I would like to watch again:
-Jurassic Park (first 3; I need to watch the most recent ones)
-Back to the Future
-Flight of the Navigator
-Terminator 2: Judgment Day
-Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
-Wonder
-Guardians of the Galaxy Volumes I and II
-Black Swan
-Whiplash
-Hotel Rwanda
-The Descendants
-The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo
-Children of Men
-Ex Machina
-Slumdog Millionaire
-Life of Pi
-Stand by Me
-Avatar (the one by James Cameron...we don't speak of the other)
-Seres Queridos (Only Human)
-I Love You, Man
-Kill Bill: Volumes I and II
-Inglourious Basterds
-Django Unchained
-Bridesmaids
-Mean Girls
-Easy A
-Kick-Ass
-Kick-Ass 2
-Chef
-East Side Sushi
-My Big Fat Greek Wedding
-Pitch Perfect
-Jiro Dreams of Sushi
-Okja
-Train to Busan
-Lady Vengeance
-Oldboy
-Practical Magic
-Beetlejuice
-Pan's Labyrinth
-The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
-The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
-Jumanji (the original)
-The NeverEnding Story
-The Nightmare Before Christmas
-Hook
-Matilda (with Mara Wilson)
-Classic Disney films (I especially love the older ones, e.g. The Fox and the Hound, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under, DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, etc.)
-Toy Story films
-Ice Age (first few)
-How To Train Your Dragon (1 and 2)
-The End of Evangelion
-Spirited Away
-Princess Mononoke
-Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
-The Garden of Words
-Children Who Chase Lost Voices
-Tales of Earthsea
-Grave of the Fireflies
-The Wind Also Rises
-Howl's Moving Castle
-Finding Nemo
-Finding Dory
-Up
-The Little Prince
-The Secret of Kells
-Song of the Sea

And YouTube... ;)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I don't know if this counts, but here goes:

Back in August 2017, I went on my first solo road trip ever. I traveled across a few states of the Midwest, namely Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. I slept in my car for most of the nights to save money. That was its own adventure.

I walked along the shores of Lake Michigan, Bowman Lake, and Keego Harbor (beautiful sunset), hiked for hours in Voyageurs National Park, took a boat tour of the Apostle Islands, and took pictures of the Thai Pavilion at the Olbrich Botanical Garden. (I could leisurely walk in nature for days; I don't grow tired of it, except for the swarms of horseflies and dragonflies that chase me in the woods.) I loved exploring Chicago and the Badlands on foot and had a fun conversation with one of the ladies that works at The Halal Guys in Milwaukee. I also completed the Three Dunes Challenge (took me three hours with more than 300 pounds at the time) and trekked along slippery canyon trails near Clifty Falls. I crossed the bridge from Cincinnati to Covington, KY on foot and traveled back (the blisters were huge, hahaha). I visited the Cincinnati Museum of Art, the Dayton Aviation Heritage Park, and the Imagination Station. I also took a selfie at Mount Rushmore.

Finally, I met up with two good friends from high school and college, respectively, whom I had not seen in a really long time. They happened to be in the region either for a cousin's wedding or for work. We chatted for hours, caught up, and ate tasty meals together. I look forward to meeting up with them again soon.

Teach, Learn, Share

I personally want to learn as much German as I can while I am visiting Germany and Austria.

I enjoy learning and helping others with math, so if anyone wants help with high school algebra and trigonometry or first-year calculus, please let me know. I would also love to review abstract algebra and complex analysis. I can also help with chemistry.

Spanish is my native tongue, and I speak English well enough, so I would be glad to help others practice in conversation.

I have started cooking more and more vegan dishes on my own, thanks to YouTube videos. Hence, I would be happy to help around the kitchen.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Aside from the above, if welcomed by hosts, I would not only want to hear about their lives and stories (in German, preferably), but I would definitely want to help them with any chores (vacuuming, carrying groceries, taking out the trash, washing dishes, chopping vegetables, etc.) around the house. I can also buy food and supplies at the supermarket.

I would also love to just hang out (I don't drink or smoke, sorry in advance). We can: go and explore the local markets to check out the food; sit at a restaurant to try local cuisine; cook at home; go to the cinema; visit a museum; walk around the nice and interesting parts of town (even if off the beaten path); stroll through parks (if the weather allows...); ride in a car to a nearby city; and visit memorials, monuments, cathedrals, forests, and other awesome places. We can play Jenga or board games (Nintendo games are also always an option), talk about the countries we've visited, go hiking, or watch German shows on TV together.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Peru, Spain, United States, Venezuela

Countries I’ve Lived In

Dominican Republic, United States