I am a cheerful 21 year old Venezuelan, and I'm absolutely in love with art, architecture and design, music, dancing, cooking, basically any form of expression. I've also lived a big portion of my life in China.

While living in China cultural differences between students were pronounced, yet always rewarding. The strange environment I regarded with wariness became the place where the individual threads of nations, cultures, and languages unfolded to be later knitted back together into my new perception of the world. I strive to continue meeting people with different believes systems, to understand their perspective even if I don't share it. To me, cultural competence is essential.

I am also a very curious person, and I believe that a conversation about any topic can be enriching if carried with mutual respect. Some topics I’m particularly passionate about are architecture and design, as well as cultural beliefs. I love to chat about these topics with people, there's nothing more interesting than having your ideas challenged through an insightful conversation.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My dear friend Bashar, he inspired me through his adventure stories across Canada. He has told me wonderful stories that highlight human kindness and warmth; qualities that I thought few people still had. In fact, while living in China I was too afraid to travel to the inside of the country alone. I was concerned for my safety, or that I would encounter too many language barriers as the accents across provinces changed. When I left China as the pandemic started, I left with the regret of not trusting human kindness, and of not having the courage to get out of my comfort zone.

I am very grateful to be part of this community, it gives me hope and enthusiasm to think of all the good people that are here, and that share similar interest in engaging with different cultures. I also love to share elements of my own Venezuelan culture, to show my traditions, national food, and teach people how to latin dance.

Interests

• culture
• architecture
• design
• music
• art
• outdoors
• makingfriends

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC ~ My favorite singer is Camilo, a very free spirited hippie-looking singer that always manages to get me in my feels or light up my mood. (The rest of my music taste ranges from classic salsa songs to rap and hip-hop)

MOVIES ~ I generally dislike repeating movies hahaha, but I love movies that ignite conversation, or simple comedies; one of my favorite is a 2005 latino comedy called "papa de volvio loco" - "Dad must be crazy" a definite must watch if you haven't!

BOOKS ~Ohhh so many to choose from, depends on the topic. For architecture: The Yellow Book about Tezuka architects, it gives a lovely insight into some of the principles of Japanese architecture, and how design can really serve people. As a pleasure reading, I would say, The Book Thief, I love that the narrator is death itself, and how neutral she's portrayed. And lastly, food for thought would be, Man's Search for Meaning.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- I've done a Spartan race and survived. Really proud about that one.

Teach, Learn, Share

- How to cook Arepas.
- Basic latin dance steps and genres.
- A bit of Spanish or Chinese.
- How to quac like a duck using your hands (not super useful but still something).

What I Can Share with Hosts

- A home cooked Venezuelan meal (Arepas)
- Stories about my life in China and Venezuela.
- Stories about my family's travels around the world while growing up.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Canada, China, France, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Spain, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, China, Venezuela