Hello! As you can see, I'm a lion cub, and I've just caught my prey! My name is Grace, and my quarry is cuddling me at a conservation center. Her name is Michelle. She loves reading, writing, beautiful landscapes, and of course, cute little creatures like me. She had a bad car accident about two years ago, so she has slight hand tremors at times, but she's not about to let her disability slow her down. She still loves travel, and she really wants to get to know the people and culture of other countries, not just be another dumb tourist....although she can be pretty good at the latter! (A little humor there.) Her heart is set on teaching English abroad, especially to those who can't afford lessons, and helping bridge gaps to allow people to have more positive experiences with animals so we can all understand each other better. I'll let her fill in the rest of these boxes now.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Like the baby lion says, I'm interested in travel. This fall (2017), I'm planning a grand tour of Europe, which could be several hundred dollars on Air BnB and I don't want to imagine how much on traditional hotels. That several hundred could be used to see more places or go toward my college tuition. Do I sound like a cheapskate? I mean, aren't we all here because we want to save money?

However, it's not just the money. How better to learn about a country than to stay among the locals?

Interests

• animals
• historic sites
• nature
• adventure
• humor
• sarcasm
• discovering new places
• disney movies

Music, Movies, and Books

This is hard....

Music: "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again," "Hello, My Name Is," "The Impossible Dream," "I'm Not Afraid of Anything," "Shadowland," "A Little Fall of Rain" (especially the original French concept and Castilian Spanish versions), "Just the Way You Are," "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" (English, French, and Dutch versions are my big three), "Hellfire," "Be Prepared," most songs by Shania Twain.....

Yeah, that's quite a mix, huh?

Movies: "The Lion King," "Beauty and the Beast" (the 1991 animated version), "The Great Mouse Detective," "Liar, Liar," "The Mask," "The Beautician and the Beast," "Anna and the King," "Bedazzled," "Arabian Nights," "Chicago," "Mouse Hunt," "Undercover Blues"......

Books: the Bible, my own novels I have written because I'm weird like that, collections of folktales and fairy tales from around the world, Sherlock Holmes books, "Doomed Queen Anne," "The Book of Virtues," "Dear America" and "Royal Diaries" series......narrowing stuff down to specific books is difficult; I'm better at specific genres

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Uh.....Did we miss the fact that's a real baby lion on my shoulder? Is that not amazing? Or maybe having a GMC truck ram into my door at highway speed and walking out with no injuries but minor rug burn from the airbag?

Oh, I know. I've held two baby wolves and fed adult wolves from my hand. I've had a baby kinkajou jump on my head, and I've photographed a baby muntjac. I got to pet two penguins, one of which was a baby.

It amazes me to be close to animals like this. If you don't think these experiences are amazing, you've either never had one or you're completely heartless.

Teach, Learn, Share

You're in the right place! I am one month away from completing my final course and becoming an official ESL Certified instructor! I also watch a lot of nature documentaries, so although I'm not certified, I do know a bit about animals. What would you have me teach or share with you?

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can help care for animals or help children with homework. I can give free lessons in English (and possibly basic Spanish). And of course, what you do for me will come back to you. If you feed me, I will get groceries for you. If you let me shower and/or do laundry....okay, I don't really know how I can help you with the water bill, but maybe I could do a bit of housework in exchange. I'd also appreciate if I could use your Wi-Fi since I'll be booking a lot of tickets online, but like I said, I don't mind lending a hand or sharing knowledge. You let me know what works for you and what seems a good bargain to you, and we'll work this out.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, England, Ireland, Mexico, Scotland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States