I am originally from Spain, but have been living in the Netherlands for about 5 years already.

Professionally, I am a researcher in Materials Science, and that's what took me to the Netherlands. My job allows me to combine my passion for investigating and discovering new things with making a good impact on society: making steel production a bit more sustainable (did you know that almost everything is made of steel? :-))

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Loving to discover and trying out new things, how could I not like travelling?

Besides, I really have a passion for other cultures, cuisines and traditions, and most of the things I do in my free time are related with that, one way or another. Because of that, CS is the perfect platform for me. I have been using it for a few years already, and hope to continue doing it in the future. I have shown Couchsurfers around in my city, and also used it to meet new local people when travelling in many countries.

Interests

In my free time, I like to go hiking, visiting museums (anthropology or etnographic are my favorite ones), or simply meeting friends. I also love trying out new restaurants and different types of beer (IPAs are always my preferred choice). I have always had a soft spot for languages, and lately I have been learning a bit of Arabic (can I try writing your name in Arabic script? :-)).

I can also beat you at a pub quiz, if the opportunity arises :P

• literature
• traveling
• hiking
• history
• languages
• science
• mountains
• food
• cinema

Music, Movies, and Books

Series: Breaking Bad, The Office, Dark, Ozark, Narcos...

Movies: The Godfather, Goodfellas, Hitchcock, Paths of Glory, Asghar Farhadi, Cold War, Interstellar, The Life of the Others, Kynodontas, We have to talk about Kevin, The Pianist, Black Swan... Mostly, I like independent international films, and I used to go watch them almost weekly.

Books: Great Expectations (Dickens), Désert (Le Clézio), Samarcande (Amin Maalouf), Alamut (Bartol), Generations of Winter (Aksiónov), The Tunnel (Sábato), 100 years of Solitude (García Márquez), Sapiens (Noah Harari), Magallanes (Zweig), The Shadow of the Wind (Ruiz Zafón)...

Now I'm reading some novels by Vargas Llosa to prepare for my travelling in Perú :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- Trekking in the Atlas mountains with Berber people
- Travelling by train from Moscow to Vladivostok
- Visiting Fatma Mausoleum in Qom (Iran), supposedly closed to non-Muslims
- Seeing volcanic eruptions in Stromboli (an island off the coast of Sicily)
- Watching amazing Northern Lights in all colors in Lofoten (Norway)
- Celebrating traditional Midsommar in Stockholm

Teach, Learn, Share

I can show you around in my city, teach you a bit of Spanish, write your name in Arabic script, or even cook for you (Spanish omelette and risotto with blue cheese are my specialties)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Bolivia, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom