Hello! My name is Victoria. I'm 22 years old, and I grew up just outside of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. In May of 2015, I graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a Bachelor's Degree in History and Political Science. I want to someday be a secondary school history teacher, but before I settle down with a career and some serious bills to pay, I want to see the world and experience as much of it as possible. So, after graduating, I began searching for job opportunities abroad. I am currently living in Jelenia Gora, Poland and working here as an English teacher at a privately-owned English school. I moved here at the beginning of September, and I am loving every minute of it! I will be living here until the beginning of July 2016, and I plan on taking advantage of my time here in Europe before Uncle Sam calls me home...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I decided to join Couchsurfing because, so far, I have learned that the best way to experience a new country and new culture is by learning from the natives themselves (... I also heard from friends that there are some pretty cool people on here!) Unfortunately, I am not able to host any couchsurfers as I am living with a host family here in Poland and not on my own. However, I plan on sharing as much as I can with whomever I meet on Couchsurfing all while soaking up as much as I can from the amazing couchsurfers here.

Interests

I would definitely describe myself as unique as I enjoy a number of different things...

First, I love traveling. As a child, my parents never took me very far from Boston so my first real traveling experience was in high school. I participated in a school exchange with a high school in Germany, about an hour west of Frankfurt am Main. I spent 17 amazing days living in Germany with my exchange student and her family, who I am still in very close touch with. After this traveling experience, I was hooked. Since, I have put almost all my effort (and savings) into seeing the world and experiencing new cultures. Not only do I learn new things about the country or city I am staying in, but when I travel, I learn new things about myself. This has been a huge motivator for me to step outside of my comfort zone and see the world.

Second, I love languages. I can speak English, of course, Spanish at an intermediate level, German at a conversational level, and I am currently learning to speak Polish. I began learning Spanish in school when I was about 12 years old, German when I was 15, and I took a year of Latin courses as well. Languages are so fascinating to me... Being able to speak another language opens so many doors and provides you with so many different and new opportunities. Not only can you communicate with people in another country, but you can also learn something more about them, their culture, their way of life.

Last but certainly not least, I love being active. I began participating in team sports shortly after I began walking, and it became a huge part of my life as a child and an adolescent.. I even continued onto playing ice hockey for the women's team at my university. I also enjoy skiing, hiking, running, and other outdoor activities. Life is a beautiful thing, and being in good form can help you enjoy it.

• culture
• running
• walking
• team sports
• traveling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• skiing
• sports
• hockey
• teaching
• history
• languages
• political science
• science

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States