I love to travel and meet people and believe that experiences are far more important (and much more fulfilling) than material things. In particular, I love to:
- get off the beaten path and would much rather pursue an activity suggested by someone who lives in the area, rather than anything in a guidebook.
- try dishes that are typical of where I'm visiting (food is a very important part of my travels and I love cooking)
- seek out local artisans to explore their work

Back in Australia I used to work for Universities looking after the technologies and classrooms from an education perspective. I believe that education one of the most important things in our society and am really interested in education initiatives in different countries.

I'm also a keen photographer and had my own photography business which specialised in wedding and event photography before I left to go travelling. Lots of travel photography as well at www.lisagermany.com/world/

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've been traveling since Feb 2016 and there is no end in sight just yet! Rather than just "passing through", I would like to understand the countries I'm visiting through the experiences of locals and have the opportunity to experience these places in a more authentic way. The best way I can think of to do this is to Couchsurf!

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He side viajando desde febrero 2016 y no estoy pensando de parar muy pronto! En lugar de simplemente “pasar a través” de un país me gustaría conocer los países que estoy visitando por las experiencias de la gente, y tener la oportunidad de conocer estos lugares de una manera más auténtica. La mejor manera que puedo pensar para hacerlo es por Couchsurf!

Interests

Travelling (obviously) and learning about other cultures
Improving my Spanish (I'm almost fluent)
Photography
Cooking and Food (I love to try traditional dishes of the countries I visit)
Dancing (LOVE dancing Salsa and Merengue)
Hiking
Education and Education systems in different countries
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Viajando (obviamente) y aprendiendo de otrás culturas
Mejorando mi español (estoy casi fluido)
Fotografía
La cocina y comida (me encanta probar comidas tradicionales de los países que visite)
Bailando (me encanta bailar Salsa y Merengue)
Caminatas largas (el último fue el Circuito de Torres del Paine)
El sistema educativo en países diferentes

• photography
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• traveling
• socializing
• hiking
• business
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
I am still stuck in the 80s when it comes to music, though have picked up several bands since then. Big fan of latin pop/rock, especially from ~10 years ago when I was living in Chile (Juanes, Mana, La Oreja de Van Gogh)

Movies:
Doesn't really matter so long as it has a decent story.

Books
I read a lot of non-fiction as well as fiction. My favourite fiction author at the moment is Jodi Piccoult but there are so many I've enjoyed! I used to read a lot of fantasy books and am looking forward to re-reading the Thomas Covenant Series (all 10 books!) while I'm travelling this year.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Worked at La Silla Observatory in Chile for 4 years. All astronomical observatories are incredible places, but La Silla in particular between 2000 and 2004 was very, very special. The job, the location and most importantly the people are still very close to my heart.

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Trabajé en el Observatorio “La Silla” en Chile durante 4 años. Todos los observatorios astronómicos son lugares increíbles, pero “La Silla”, en particular entre los años 2000 y 2004 fue muy, muy especial. El trabajo, la ubicación y, lo más importante, la gente, es todavía muy cerca de mi corazón.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach: photography skills
Learn: local information about how to experience the region, continue to improve my spanish
Share: conversation, meals (I love to help with the cooking)

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Egypt, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greenland, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United States, Uzbekistan, Yemen

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Chile, Ecuador