I am an English teacher from the US. I taught high school English in Illinois before moving to Brazil to teach English at an international school. I teach middle school now, and I have learned to love it and love middle school which might mean I am losing my mind :). Before I was a teacher, I worked in marketing and claims for an insurance company, but I always knew I would eventually teach and am glad I got into teaching without much more delay. Now, I am working on my Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language because I have a passion for linguistics (that's weird to say, isn't it?), I want to continue teaching internationally, and I want to continue to work with ESL students especially if I ever teach in the US again.

I, myself, am only really fluent in English, but I am working hard to change that. My Portuguese is now intermediate/conversationally fluent, and I am also trying to learn Spanish, French, and sometimes a little Russian and German just because I really love languages and learning.

When I am not working, I love to travel, but I have the budget of a teacher, so I look for opportunities to travel and volunteer/work in exchange for housing or couchsurf.

I love to read, listen to music, have deep conversations, lift weights, run, bike, swim, kayak, hike, and basically do anything that keeps me active. I especially love to scuba dive and be on boats, but I, regrettably, do not know how to sail yet.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to meet new people and experience more of life through travel and listening to others stories (either through conversations or through reading books). I really enjoy meeting and connecting with people I do not know yet and making friends out of strangers. I am not always the most outgoing person (not shy either, I am somewhere in between), but I will talk to anyone and believe everyone has something they can teach me. I love to get to know other's lives and experience as much as possible in my life. I value learning and adventure, and I think it is important to always be challenging oneself in order to grow.

Music, Movies, and Books

Books - "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho, "Candide; or Optimism" by Voltaire, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway, "Anna Karenin" by Leo Tolstoy, "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

Music - Indie Rock (sorry, that is vague)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Scuba diving/sailing trips with my dad

Learned a foreign language as an adult (sort of)

Moved to a foreign country alone

None of this is striking me as that amazing...sorry about that :)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach English, Portuguese (I am only about intermediate level, but I began learning 2 years ago, so I know what it is like to learn)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I don't mind cleaning or cooking. I find a lot of housework and cooking almost therapeutic, in a way, so I do not mind doing household chores and cooking meals to help out the host.

Love for travel, meeting new people, learning new things. Enthusiasm and relentlessly positive outlook!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bahamas, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Brazil, United States