Hi everyone !

My name is Eléa and I'm a bachelor's student in economics and social sciences. I'm half Romanian, half Algerian (I know it doesn't look so), but according to my passport and my taste for croissants (pain au chocolat to be fair), I am French indeed.

I started CS at the age of 4 with my family, but as I started travelling independently, I decided to create my own account.

INTERESTS :
I'm a huge music enthusiast !! I am fascinated at many aspects of music : through listening to radically different genres, instruments, analyzing harmony, how rythms shape styles, cultural differences expressed through music, electronic music, music in parties, dancing...

In general, I love to learn.

I am very interested in sociology and anthropology, study and understand the impacts of representations and collective behaviors, how it affects our identities and thinking. I believe that to the famous Nature VS Culture debate ( => What part of our social behaviors come from genetic/biologic factors and what comes from culture, education ? ), CULTURE plays the hugest part in shaping us.

I am really open minded, so I have absolutely no problem talking and exchanging with people who do not share my ideas, I'm actually always curious !

Very recently, I discovered cycling culture, and the few experiences I had were amazing, I fell in love with bike rides and I would love implement more cycling in my lifestyle ! I don't have a lot of experience in hiking either but I love it and I love being outdoors, same as cycling, it is a goal for me to be spend more time hiking and going in the nature !

Piano, music, books, cooking...

I haven't really had the occasion to explore that much but I find urbex (exploring abandoned places) really fascinating.

I love to debate, discuss controversial topics and opinions, trying to get out of my mental comfort zone by considering perspectives which I'm not familiar with.

MOST NOTABLE COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCES

I started couchsurfing from a very early age with my family, and we lived amazing experiences all around Europe, where we met wonderful people, some of which I am still in touch with nowadays. Growing up, as an early passionate traveller, I started travelling alone or with friends (mostly on my own), and I had more couchsurfing experiences, which were all really positive and meaningful !

In summer 2014, we made a family trip all around Europe by car doing couchsurfing with my parents and sisters !

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I consider CS as an alternative way to travel, which can offer deep and meaningful experiences and connexions. I was initiated from an early age to hospitality exchanges, which is probably why my taste for this lifestyle got even stronger years after.

The best travel experiences I had were always the ones that make you get fully in touch with the culture and locals. I want to create connections. Exposure to alterity, difference, constant learning, makes travels so exciting and intellectually stimulating, and I consider CS as a way to achieve this purpose.

I am not looking for a luxury hotel, but rather for hosts to share what they know, how they live, how they view the world, hear their stories and experiences.

Interests

• culture
• books
• cooking
• politics
• piano
• cycling
• economics
• international relations
• languages
• philosophy
• travel
• art
• food
• parkour
• humor
• outdoors
• litterature
• djing
• south america
• urbex
• eastern europe
• caucasus
• alterity

Music, Movies, and Books

(this section is a little outdated but still valid, I have learned a lot more in the meantime and evolved :)

Authors :
Aldous Huxley, Amélie Nothomb, Margaret Atwood, John SteinbeckGeorge Orwell, Isabel Allende, Maupassant, Ken Follet, Albert Camus, Baudelaire, Yasmina Khadra,

Music :
Really diverse, from classical music, to techno, rock, alternative rock, jazz, blues, ragtime, house...

Films :
Fight Club, Inception, Interstellar, The Piano, Us, La vita é bella, Parasite, The Truman Show, Natural Born Killers

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Fled on my own to Baku at the age of 16 :))
700km of hitchhiking through France and Germany in two days !

As a child, me and my sisters used to perform dancing shows all around Europe for each host. We did not, however, become world famous eventually, but at least we tried x)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can help you with your French and English. I love to cook ! I can make a few French dishes (I really like our food :)) I can sing and play the piano if you have one, share travel stories
We can talk about sociology if you're interested ;)

Countries I’ve Visited

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

France