Hi! Disclaimer for 2021: unfortunately, I am not accepting guests right now due to COVID-19. Safety first! I hope you are well and stay healthy out there. The sooner we get this under control, the sooner we can embrace the CS spirit again. Peace and love!
-M
P.S. My account may be dormant for a while, as I am saving some money until I boot up again to be more active in the CS community.

Hello! My name is Maris. I live in NEPA and went to school in Rochester, NY. I have lived in the USA all of my life (though I did study abroad in Croatia for two and a half months).

I work as a book developer, bartender, and personal assistant. I used to work with a woman with Multiple Sclerosis. In my free time, I volunteer with LGBT youth, which I find very rewarding. I am trying to get back into reading, boost my hiking skills, and continue learning new things. I love dogs!!!

http://www.couchsurfing.com/about/values/
Please take the time to read and familiarize yourself with this, as these values are important to me and other CSers.

Please ask me questions so we can get to know each other better in order to have a good CS experience together! I will ask you things, too.

MESSAGING ME
•Please prove you've read about me by sending a personalized message: Who are you? Why are you messaging me?
•Please make sure your profile is also filled out so I can know more about you, too, and have something to say back!

REQUESTING TO STAY WITH ME
•Please send a Couch Request, not a message.
•Please have your profile filled out, including more than one picture of you, information about you, as well as references (References are important, as we need to keep ourselves and each other safe.).
•Please prove you've read about me and my home... if you have done this, you'll know how.
I WILL NOT HOST you if you have not read about me and my home.
I WILL NOT HOST you if you do not have your profile filled out or have any references. I understand being new (I was once, too), but safety is a concern. Looking to get references? Go to events and meet other CSers, have friends review you, etc.

(2) Have you Couchsurfed or hosted before? If so, where and when?
(3) If you were a food, what would you be and why?

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING
I'm trying to make events in my area, since it seems to be a bit of a dead zone. I am also hoping to host some people, should the opportunity arise.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
(2018-04) Hosted my first CSer, Christopher! Had a great time showing him around, getting to know him, and enjoying tasty food together. Thanks for the cool game; been loving it!
(2017-12) Took a road trip and stayed with amazing people in Weedsport, NY; Beamsville, Ontario; and Ithaca, NY. Everyone was so kind, welcoming, helpful, and fun to be around! Thank you Jim and Machelle; Basia, Art, Adrian, and Martin; and Mark!
(2017-12) Stayed with Keith in Newark, DE, and had a blast! He has an awesome garden, an interesting and open mind, and a kind heart. Definitely will have to visit again!
(2017-07) I just had my first CS experience in Montréal, Québec, Canada, and it was AMAZING. I am so glad to have had the experience and to have met such amazing people. Definitely will do it again and would love to be more active with CS events and activities! Thank you to everyone who made my trip so cool!

(2015-10) I joined Couchsurfing after traveling Europe and meeting some awesome people who happened to use the site. I'd love to keep traveling, learning, and meeting new people, and this seems like a great way to do it!

Interests

In no particular order:
Traveling
Learning
Animals
Design
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Cars

• animals
• dogs
• arts
• culture
• books
• design
• concerts
• lgbt rights
• environment
• cooking
• baking
• scotch tasting
• video games
• board games
• traveling
• cars
• socializing
• music
• hiking
• kayaking
• atheism
• boxing
• languages
• sign language
• study abroad
• language exchange
• volunteering
• solo travel
• travel
• learning languages
• musica
• dance
• health
• learning new things
• different cultures
• feminism
• learning
• bartending
• learning new languages
• foreign languages
• sharing stories
• equality
• environmentalism
• gayfriendly
• agnosticism
• scotch
• gender
• gay friendly
• gender equality
• eupraxsophy

Music, Movies, and Books

I mix up my music, depending on my mood. Indie, classical, metal, pop, country, world... Lately, I have been really into Vacationer, Sofi Tukker, The Starting Line, Person L, Jeff Buckley, Joyce Manor, Wetter, The 1975. I also bop around to Britney Spears and 1D. Instrumental stuff and classical stuff is great when I'm in a calm mood.

(2020-08) Since I work with books, I get quite tired and do not read as much in free time. But I do enjoy giving insider hints as to good books coming out soon, if I know of them!
In 2017, I was reading about minimalism. Learning to let go of things and bring more *living* into my life sounds grand; not sure I could be a true minimalist, though. Practicalist?

The Count of Monte Cristo has to be my favorite book this far. I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, Augusten Burroughs' work, things about Deaf culture. I'm trying to get back into reading. I dig graphic novels like Saga and The Wicked + The Divine.

I like lots of movies and shows, though I pay attention to them a bit less nowadays. I like indie films, dark comedies, superheroes, dramas, period pieces, thrillers, action, comedy, bad sci-fi, and funny horror flicks.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

2019, I shaved all of the hair on my head off. It was liberating and a wonderful experience. Highly suggest it.

(2015-09) Traveled Europe for one month, on my own (for the most part).

Oh! And I made puff pastry from scratch via a book a Chef lent me. That was quite a feat.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love sharing any little thing I know with others if they wish to know, and I love learning from you, too!
-basic American Sign Language
-how to make/create some cocktails and mixed drinks
-some photo, drawing, typography
-basic knitting scarves and hats

I'm really into Single Malt Scotch. Let's do a tasting together!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love creating cookies from scratch and without recipes. I can make great soups and quiche. I can also create fun mixed drinks.

I've been trained to take decent photos, am very compassionate and love to listen and help out. Good with kids and animals. I'm also pretty decent at painting walls and learning to fix up a house.

Hopefully, I can brighten up your day somehow.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, England, France, Greece, Iceland, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Croatia, United States