CURRENT MISSION

Introduce the world to the glory of Algerian Rai music and the deliciousness of couscous

ABOUT ME

My name is Liz, but a good number of my friends call me Peezy, or PZ for short or La Peezy if you're feeling fancy or want to make fun of me for being Francophile and Francophone. I grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but moved to New Orleans to pursue my undergraduate studies at Tulane University. I felt a lot more at home in NOLA than I ever had in my suburban PA town (it's seriously hard to out-freak anyone there!). A history and French major, I spent my junior year abroad studying French colonial history at Paris IV La Sorbonne. I absolutely loved living in Paris and that was where I was first introduced to North African culture and history, which were soon to become my passion.

After graduating from Tulane, I moved to Tunis, Tunisia, where I taught English for the NGO Amideast from September 2008 to January 2010. I have many fond memories of my second home country and hope to go back for research or language some time in the very near future (heck, I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could take some time off from school to help with the refugee population coming from Libya).

This fall, I'll be entering the Ohio State University's MA/PhD program in History with a graduate minor in Near East Languages and Cultures. My career aspiration is to become an historian of modern Algeria. Specifically, I want to contribute to our understanding of what took place in Algeria during the 1990s, when a senseless and tragic Civil War tore the nation asunder and killed an estimated 200,000 people.

As for my personality, I'm a raving quirkster who can be somewhat introverted at times and an absolute goofball at others. Although I love a good laugh, have a good sense of humor, and like to have fun, I am extremely responsible and considerate of others. If I surf with you or host, expect a delicious breakfast in the morning and an insistent offer that I was the dishes and do all of the cleanup.

PHILOSOPHY

Life is short but wide, so get out there and explore, dare to achieve and feel pride even in failure, and carpe diem.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

For the moment, I'm only surfing, but once I get established next year in Columbus, OH I will definitely be participating more and hosting!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Back in April 2007, I couch surfed for a week in Aix en Provence with a wonderful guy named Olivier while during research at the French colonial archives. We've stayed in touch and I actually visited him again in early 2008 when I went back to do more research, but this time I was on a grant so I didn't have to surf.

When I was in Tunis, my roommates and I hosted a number of couch surfers. They were always super polite and came from all corners of the globe. We also had a blast showing them Tunisia, since most of them were visiting the Maghreb for the first time.

All in all, some very nice experiences and I hope to have many more!!!

Interests

Yoga, playing guitar and violin, foreign films, learning Arabic and French, cheeses (especially the smelly ones), good beers, music

• culture
• singing
• performing arts
• festivals
• dancing
• breakfast
• beer
• yoga
• drinking
• clubbing
• movies
• music
• guitar
• violin
• surfing
• teaching
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Casablanca, De l'Autre Cote (French translation of excellent Turkish/German film), Delice Paloma

Algerian Rai music, especially Souad Massi and Rachid Taha (check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE6lJBBEOPw), any francophone rap music that blasts Sarkozy, which is pretty much every French rap song, and various songs from every genre imaginable

L'Amant and pretty much anything by Marguerite Duras, The Great Gatsby, L'Enfant Peul by Amadou Hampate Ba, West with the Night by Beryl Markham, War and Peace, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I played frisbee once in the desert at sunset in the Douz, Tunisia after spending the day at the Festival International du Sahara, where I saw camel fights and hair dances.

Eating fried oyster sandwiches in Istanbul at 2 in the morning after drinking way too much raka and dancing like a fool at a club that closed with the sing, "Istanbul" by They Might Be Giants.

Spending Christmas in a troglodyte home in Matmata, Tunisia.

Drinking beer on a Caribbean island in the autonomous indigenous regions of Panama.

The chair in which Moliere died giving his last performance.

Teach, Learn, Share

I was an English teacher for a year and a half so I can help anyone with improving their level in spoken English. I also can school just about anyone in Apples to Apples.

Countries I’ve Visited

Algeria, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Tunisia, United States