We are Jesu and Cris, a couple in love who decided to backpack the world. We are both from Chile and we are both teachers. At this moment, while creating and editing this profile, we are living for a month on a small Thai island called Koh Mak.

We started this trip in February of this year, visiting 9 countries in Europe. Then, we came to Southeast Asia. After Thailand, we plan to visit Bali and its neighboring islands, to end this adventure in the Far East.

Being new to this platform, we are eager and excited to meet people from all over the world and to share travel and life experiences.

About Jesu (María Jesús Espic): I am a 27-year-old woman who always dreamt of traveling the world. I saved money through various jobs over the years, so I'm delighted to be living this unique experience.
I love connecting with people from different cultures, and that's why I became a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language. I believe the English language can be used as a tool to unite people from many countries and continents. Moreover, I love my students and I aim to be a role model for them through empathy, sincerity, and cheerfulness. Working remotely has allowed me to continue teaching English through some private online lessons.

I enjoy talking and learning about others, especially if it's over a glass of wine or a nice meal (I'm a flexitarian which means I'm usually on a vegetarian diet, but I can make exceptions in particular situations) sushi and spaghetti are my absolute favorite dishes. Fortunately, I am very close with my family and friends, and although I'm very happy with my boyfriend, I have missed them a lot on this trip. I'm a fan of series, music, and books, I think they can change your life.
You can check out my Instagram profile: @jesuespic
https://www.instagram.com/jesuespic/?hl=es

About Cris (Cristian Pérez): I am a 37-year-old man. I consider myself a lover of cinema (commercial and cult), books (especially poetry), travel, and cooking (my specialty is cebiche). If I can mix these things, I consider my life fulfilled! I have been a teacher for 13 years. My specialty is literature and Spanish. I am empathetic, a good listener, and committed to my friends.

Right now I am learning English with the best teacher: Jesu. I like to teach and transmit academic content, but also useful tools for the soul, such as empathy, respect for what is different, and passion for the world and its cultures. For this reason, I believe that travel is essential to accept yourself and others as they are. "Racism is cured by traveling", this phrase by Miguel Unamuno makes a lot of sense to me. I hope I can never exhaust this hunger for the world and its cultures.
You can check out my passion for cheap food at @cronicas_culinarias
https://www.instagram.com/cronicas_culinarias/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Mainly, we think that Couchsurfing is one of the best instances to have a more authentic experience when you travel. With the platform, you can meet the locals, understand their way of life and learn to look at the city and its corners from different eyes. Also, we find interesting the stories of expatriates who have left their home countries to live in another part of the world. We believe that Couchsurfing is just what we need at this point in the journey, since we've been able to learn a lot about each other and about ourselves, but we haven't had the opportunity to establish as many meaningful interactions with others as we would like.

Interests

• books
• poetry
• education
• meditation
• movies
• languages
• travel
• food
• nature
• cultures
• ocean
• sushi
• climbing

Music, Movies, and Books

Pearl Jam, Jazz and Rap in general, Indie Folk, Ed Sheeran, Harry Potter, Cien años de Soledad, Los Detectives Salvajes, The Alice Network, Livro do Desassossego, This is Us, Lost, Breaking Bad, GOT, Friends, Lion, Parasite, The Godfather, The Danish Girl, Cold War, Ratatouille.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

We met at the school where we both worked and a year later the dream of traveling the world together came true.

Jesu: I was a volunteer in a non-profit ONG called TECHO in which I helped to build houses, parks, and sidewalks for people in very extreme living conditions (in Chile and Paraguay), I also participated in the process of empowering women from those communities to start small entrepreneurship. Furthermore, I taught children from those social housing through games, reinforcing their soft skills and content from the school.

Cris: In 2010-2011 I worked in France as a Spanish teacher. A tremendous life experience.
In 2011, I tried to cross from Kosovo to Serbia, which due to political problems between these two countries, I couldn't enter. This was a pretty crazy situation, considering how little travel experience I had at the time. Without a doubt, this only increased my desire to travel and learn. Finally, between 2021 and 2023, I lived in a Buddhist center in Valparaíso, Chile.

We look forward to share this and much more with you!

Teach, Learn, Share

We can exchange and practice languages ​​or just watch a movie together.
We would like to learn about you and your culture, as well as some words from any language you know.
If the possibility exists, we would greatly appreciate getting to know the city with you. And if this is not possible, it would be great if you can tell us about your favorite places there.

What I Can Share with Hosts

We can share good energy, a good conversation, cultural exchange and, above all, empathy, joy and respect.
If you wish, we can cook some Chilean dishes or something you like.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Laos, Macedonia, Malaysia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Uruguay, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Chile, France