"I don’t want to earn my living; I want to live." - O. Wilde

Hey! I'm Sonia, a 27 years old girl from Barcelona but living in Melbourne. I've been in Australia a for 2.5 years now, working on little blue penguins and enjoying this amazing continent island :D I guess you're wondering I what I'm doing with the penguins... Basically I stalk penguins haha I'm a marine ecologist doing research on the important feeding areas of little penguins. If we know where they go to get their food, we can protect and conserve them better. So to do that I attached GPS and fit-bits to the back of some lucky penguins.

I'm a very easy-going person. I think getting angry isn't worth it, so it's better being happy and enjoying life. The good sense of humor is a must for me, I'm always smiling and laughing (even when I just wake up). My 2 favourite things are laughing and making laugh!

I really enjoy every moment and I love to spend time with my friends: travelling by car (I love road trips and driving), drinking a beer (my friends call me BeerQueen), watching soccer (FC Barcelona supporter!), watching a movie, partying... As any field biologist worth, I enjoy outdoor activities. When I'm not hanging out with penguins, I'm birdwatching or diving, the sea is my happy place :)

I'm also very curious, I never miss the chance to learn something new about whatever, I'm like a sponge!

For sure, I'm passionate about marine biology, diving and everything related to the sea, otherwise I wouldn't have moved to Melbourne to work with the cutest animals ever, the little penguins!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

NEW PEOPLE! In Spain I used to live with my parents and I couldn't offer my place, that's why I became mentor of European students in my Faculty when I came back from Italy, where I lived for a year and I hosted some people.

Now, in this new (I guess not so new anymore) Aussie episode of my life I'd love to share experiences with new friends, meet people from Melbourne and worlwide.
I also love to know new places through locals (I think that's the best way to know any place) and I enjoy giving advice to tourists about my city, so if someone is going to Barcelona or Melbourne, I can give some advice. Just ask! I know both cities well :)

Interests

Penguins, penguins and penguins and all the birds!
But I also have many more interests!!! Travelling, diving, soccer, cinema, music, beer, wine, food and laughing. When I have free time, I also paint (I need some creative activities to have a break of science)... and a long etcetera!!!!
Just ask if you want to know something else ;D

• animals
• birds
• fish
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• beer
• partying
• drinking
• movies
• traveling
• socializing
• painting
• music
• fishing
• hiking
• kayaking
• scuba diving
• snorkeling
• rock climbing
• soccer
• biology
• science
• road trips
• birdwatching

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Nina Simone
Any book by John Le Carre
Movie: The Big Lebowski

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I was living in Italy for a year, I travelled all around Italy and I felt in love with this country.
Working under sea! Diving fieldwork is awesome, the best office ever!
Diving with Dusky Grouper of 1.5 meters, so magical fish!
Camino de Santiago! Amazing, if you have the chance, DO IT!
Roadtrip from Darwin to Alice Springs. The red centre has been the best of Australia so far!

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm a great tortilla de patatas (spanish omelette) cooker! I can also teach Spanish, Italian or some marine biology if you're interested!
I'm sure I'll share great time and thousand of laughs with anyone who hosts me or I host :D

What I Can Share with Hosts

Spanish cooking and a lot of laughs! Good conversation, experiences...

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Italy, Spain