Hello! Greetings from Spain! I am a teacher that loves traveling, very passionate about my job. Trying new things and stepping out of my comfort zone is something I like doing. I am confident that everything turns out well in the end, I'm an optimist.

I like hanging out with my friends and family, spending time with them, but I also like my alone time. I've focused lately on getting to know myself better, which I'm very happy and proud about. Talking about pride: I'm a lesbian. Now I decided to travel on my own. Looking forward for new adventures!

I've traveled a bit around the world, I learned something in each and every place I've visited, and I got to met interesting people. Photography is one of the goals of my trips, it's entertaining and challenging. Trying to show what you see, to express what you think or feel, to keep the memory of somebody or something that happened...You can see some of my pics in my instagram account: almu_chi

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've been hearing about Couchsurfing for years, but always traveled in groups, without the time or freedom to take it easy or be flexible enough to meet and share time with people. Now that I'm doing it sola, I thought I would like some company from time to time, and that it will be more interesting to now places by/through knowing people.

Also I have some travel experience, and would love to share it! The exchange that takes place between people interested in getting to know different cultures and life styles is always appealing to me.

Interests

I bike to school everyday, I try to swim and/or do yoga every week, I play basketball. My first priority is staying healthy (body and mind). I take care of the environment as much as I can. I'm thoughtful with the resources I use. Mindfulness and meditation have entered my life lately, even when I don't have enough will power to practice on a daily basis (it will come).
Fostering my student's emotional intelligence and social skills is one of my priorities. I understand that can only be done by reflecting on my own strengths and weaknesses, and trying to be a better person everyday. My goal now is to practice how to go with the flow, follow my instincts and enjoy simple things.

Hiking is one of my hobbies, being surrounded by nature is a great pleasure. I also love the sea and everything around it (a pity it's so far away from Madrid, but I love my city eitherway). The sun, the wind, the sand. I find it all very refreshing and relaxing. I scuba dive and sail during the summers. I snorkel wherever I go. I've tried surfing, too. I love to watch sea creatures, and eat some of them!

Food is another great pleasure. I love eating new things, trying everything there is to rey. I'm not really into very hot stuff or really spicy food, but I probably won't say no to most dishes.

• wildlife
• culture
• books
• photography
• education
• environment
• human rights
• yoga
• traveling
• sports
• psychology
• nature
• feminism
• foodie
• gastronomy
• pedagogy
• disability
• conservation

Music, Movies, and Books

I always listen to radio 3 in Spain, I like all kinds of music but I don't spend a lot of time listening to it. I tried singing in a choir this year, loved it! I'll continue next year.

I don't usually watch movies. Well, I played Coco for my class in june and I loved it! I do enjoy some of them about books I've read (Harry Potter, The lord of the rings, etc) but watching series is more my thing. Currently Scandal, over the last months Peaky Blinders, Downton Abbey, or Orange is the New Black. One of my favourites ever was The Wire.

Some books I've read in the last 12 months:
How to be a woman by Caitlin Moran.
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Patria by Fernando Aranburu.
A walk in the woods by Bill Bryson.
Looking for Lovedu: A Woman's Journey through Africa by Ann Jones.
La hija del Este by Clara Uson Vegas.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Teaching kids with autism, it's moving. Watching them grow and sharing it with their families is one of the most beautiful things I've ever done.

Hiking in the mountains for days/weeks with my scouts group when I was a teenager, awesome! Knowing that someone really has your back, relying on the group. Spent so many nights sleeping under the stars. Being all picked up by a huge tractor when hitchhiking was great fun!

Living and volunteering in La Paz, Bolivia, for three months. Riding a bus with a huge hole in the floor for 17 hours.

Beach ride on a cop's motorbike in Brazil (I went too far away walking along an empty and suuuuuper long and beautiful beach and he got scared).

Watching humpback whales in Alaska, diving with seals in Monterrey Bay (San Francisco), diving with huge manta rays and a tiger shark in Indonesia (Komodo National Park). Watching a wild bison give birth in Yellowstone National Park. Seeing all kind of monkeys in Costa Rica, where we went through so many rivers (deep and shallow) with the car that at the end I thought it floated ;-)

Once I did a skydive, a little too much, incredible adrenaline peak. Wanted to hug everybody when I landed. I liked paragliding better, that was a real pleasure.

Teach, Learn, Share

Well, I already said what my interests are, I can talk endlessly about them. I'm a good listener, too. I enjoy sharing experiences. I would love to spend an afternoon cooking or baking, having a long walk, visiting an interesting place, or playing a basketaball/volleyball/football/... game. I can also share some yoga poses or meditation techniques, or go thorough sun salutations together.

Oh, I almost forgot: I can teach English and Spanish, share a lot of online resources to learn/teach a language, or explain my insights about disability or education.

I make tasty Spanish omelettes and gazpachos!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Advice on what to see or where to go in Madrid or Spain, hopefully over a nice dinner or some beers. A walk around the neighborhood and a chat about trips or life experiences.

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Peru, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bolivia, Czech Republic, Spain, United States