Hey people! My name is Eleder Santamaria. I'm a 30 year-old guy living in Bilbao. Although I was born and raised there, I always had this tendency to explore new places and travel all over, that's why I don't really call any place "home". I went to college in Spain and I did a study abroad year in Mississippi. After spending another year back in Bilbao, I decided I needed a change so I moved back to the US and went to grad school in Chicago. This amazing city stole my heart from the very first day I got there, so I decided to stay there for almost four years. I'm back in Bilbao now working as a teacher and I freaking love it.
I enjoy the small things in life like striking up a conversation with a stranger on the bus or hearing the rain from my bed (though I prefer the sunshine when I go outside). Mountain, beach, big cities, small towns... I don't mind, I like it anywhere. Every time I get some time off work, I buy a plane ticket and put some clothes in a backpack. Sometimes I plan everything ahead of time and some other times I just let myself go. Sometimes I travel by myself and some other times I travel with friends. I have been lucky enough to as a bartender in the French Alps, I taught English in Italy, I sold fruit in Morocco, I out surfboards to tourists in Mexico... always meeting extraordinary people along the way who treated me like family. At the end of the day, every trip is an opportunity I want to seize to the limit (or as we say in Spanish, "exprimirle el jugo").

**My girlfriend and I are not hosting at the moment since we are on the process of moving into our new home.

Interests

I love music, anything from blues to house. I'm also into sports; I've played football (soccer) all my life, and now I got the surf bug, so I'm trying to get better at it.
I believe cooking is also an important part of my life, although I can't give myself as much credit as I would like... one of my new year resolutions is to learn some yoga basics since I heard it's really beneficial for surfers. I will hopefully get the hang of it soon enough :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Colombia, England, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Mexico, Spain, United States