I come from Granada, in southern Spain. You've probably heard of my city - the Alhambra is very touristy and our university welcomes a lot of exchange students every year (more than they can handle actually).

I was an exchange student myself in Ghent (Belgium), Seoul (South Korea) and Sendai (Japan). I have also lived in Münster (Germany), several Scottish cities and Tartu (Estonia). I currently live and work in Luxembourg.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To meet locals when I am travelling and to show travelers the best of my (host) city and not only what they would see from an outsider's perspective.

Interests

I am a language geek, as you have probably noticed. I speak (Andalusian) Spanish, English, German and some Dutch. The list of languages that I have attempted to learn include Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Scottish Gaelic and Estonian.

I am interested in: hiking trips, photography (see www.flickr.com/amaiflowers and www.flickr.com/amadeusexmachina), cooking, baking, juggling, quizzing, board games, (geo)politics, and social/climate justice. Also, I am deeply in love with Philosophy.

• storytelling
• activism
• postcards
• hummus
• memes
• sustainable tourism
• cèilidh

Music, Movies, and Books

My music taste can vary a lot (at the moment I'm huge on Dua Lipa). I've been to concerts of La Raíz (three times), Mànran (twice), Mashrou' Leila, Troye Sivan and The Killers. I'd love to attend the Eurovision Song Contest and experience it in its full queerness. Also, I really enjoy moshpits.

My all-time favourite movies include Lost in Translation, Stoker, Joyeux Noël and Call Me by Your Name (don't read too much into this list though). If you hate Frozen or didn't cry with Coco we might not get along. Series-wise, I'm very much into sense8, Pose and Black Mirror. ContraPoints changed my life.

When I was a child, my favourite author was Agatha Christie, so I wrote my master's thesis on one of her crime novels. I barely read these days but I really like Haruki Murakami. For my PhD thesis I am working on The Picture of Dorian Gray.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I travel, I tend to be somewhat chaotic and get involved in ridiculous situations (also know as "manueladas"). These, of course, make the greatest stories.

During my first year of university, an old Japanese woman gave me an origami at the Alhambra because I had a smattering of Japanese. She told me to go to Japan, something that looked impossible at that particular time. A few years later, I climbed Mount Fuji by myself at night. I wanted to see the sunrise, but met a stormy weather at the summit instead. I had to hurry up on my way down because apparently a typhoon was coming (still sceptical about this).

In 2018, I hiked the Himalayas looking for a "special waterfall" with a 420-friendly group of Indian and Israeli people (while enduring a Delhi belly). After the hike, the Indian guys gifted us some priceless and very much discontinued two rupee notes.

Teach, Learn, Share

I like sharing moments with random people, especially those strangers that you meet on the metro, the train, the bus or the plane and you never see again. Some of the conversations that I have held with strangers are the most enriching of my life.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you how to solve the Rubik's cube if you teach me how to cook a vegetarian/vegan dish from your country. I am allegedly learning how to play the piano so I'd be happy to hear tips from musicians (so far, I can only play two songs and a half). I'm also cool with just listening to you playing on my keyboard.

Oh, and I'd really like to improve my dancing skills! I have taken a few salsa and Irish dancing lessons (I know, killer combo).

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Luxembourg, Scotland, Spain