Hey there! I'm Est-ray-a (also known as "Crazy Plant Lady").

I'm currently living in North Burnaby, BC, Canada. It's about a 15 minute drive from downtown Vancouver. I'm a full-time student with one more year to go before becoming a certified teacher! WOOHOO! My plan is to teach our future generations how to live a bit more sustainably through food: how to grow it, harvest it, and then proceed to cook with it. And honestly, being able to serve your loved ones food that you grew is one of the coolest feelings I have ever experienced :)

Beyond that, I like to think I'm a pretty rad person. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories - it can be a humbling experience and helps keep my mind wide open, which I'm pretty keen on.

I smile a lot. My friends say that I'm very easy going and get along with everyone. I'm your typical extroverted introvert, where I really like being social but NEED my alone time to recharge. That's probably why I travel alone most of the time.

Oh yeah! I'm a big solo traveller. I've been to 19 countries so far (16 of which have been solo trips) and am excited to watch that number increase.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to get out of my comfort zone and enjoy my travel experiences on a whole new (and more authentic) level. Meeting and staying with locals will help me in that regard! Plus, making new friends around the world is the best thing ever!

I would also like to start hosting while I'm in school. That way, I can bring a bit of the world to me when I'm unable to go out and explore :)

Interests

• cooking
• gardening
• traveling
• growing food

Music, Movies, and Books

I like most music (except for Country and screamo type music). I especially like music that makes me want to dance - currently that's latin music, reggaeton, and electronic music (not dubstep though, it's too aggressive for me).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I did an overnight hike up Volcano Acatenango in Guatemala and watched the most incredible lightning storm!

Teach, Learn, Share

In exchange for your amazing hospitality, I would love to teach you how to grow your own food, how to cook and bake, or teach you some French. I would love to learn your language and culture as well :) Let's share a meal, lots of laughs, and great memories :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can help you with your plants and your garden (I would LOVE to help you start a garden).

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada