Hello Couchsurfing community! It's been awhile since I've been more active here. After a few years of active couchsurfing and meeting wonderful people through this community, I took a break from traveling and hosting to focus on applying to grad school and spending time with my family. But I'm itching to get back out and meet more of you from this wonderful community.

I’m originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to the states in 2010 to attend college. I studied Environmental Studies with a concentration in urban planning from The New School. Since then, I’ve lived in several states doing research on various environmental issues ranging from ocean acidification to energy efficiency to most recently air pollution. I now live in the Bay Area and work for an environmental nonprofit called Environmental Defense Fund (https://www.edf.org/people/gabriela-b-zayas-del-rio). My work primarily consists of collaborating with environmental justice groups to advocate for healthy environments in communities impacted by air pollution. I’ve grown increasingly interested in the impacts of socioeconomic and environmental disparities on mental health, especially in post-conflict and post-disaster settings. I’ll be going to grad school at MIT this coming fall to study these interactions from a planning and public health perspective.

On my spare time, I enjoy biking everywhere, climbing and going on backpacking trips whenever possible. I also spend time helping at the local community garden and volunteering at a nonprofit called the Prisoners Literature Project that sends free books directly to prisoners who request them from throughout the United States.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm planning a cross-country trip from San Francisco to Boston with my sister before I start grad school. We’ll be making stops in northern California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska in the first half. We’re hoping to mix camping with couchsurfing during this first half and would be happy to help our potential hosts with anything. We haven’t explored these parts of states, so we’d also be super happy to meet up with people who want to show us their home and/or adopted state :).

Our final stop is Chicago where we’ll be reuniting with my brother who lives there. The three of us haven’t seen each other in 2 years!!

Interests

You can either find me indoors at a small concert venue or outdoors at the nearest green space. Currently fixated to my computer screen watching all the women's world cup matches!

• arts
• culture
• books
• design
• concerts
• traveling
• music
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kayaking
• mountaineering
• sports
• rock climbing
• art history
• biology
• teaching
• history
• languages
• marine science
• science
• soccer,

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: I listen to a lot of music so I'll just write what I'm currently most listening to: Steve Lacy, Rosalía, GoldLink, Tyler the Creator, Lizzo and Jessie Reyez

Movies: Documentaries are my favorites! Others: Amelie, Memento, Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro in general), movies by Mexican and Spanish directors

Books: existentialism writing (Albert Camus), magic realism (Gabriel Garcia Marques), historical fiction, nonfiction (sociology, history, politics)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I was in Cambodia, I stayed with a family in a village in Mondulkiri Province and lived life like theirs for a week. It was the best way to learn and completely immerse myself in the culture and livelihoods of Cambodians. I got to work in their family rice fields and take care of the community's elephants. I felt I was part of their lives, instead of an outsider, and it's been the best way to experience a country.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Food, music, books, languages

Countries I’ve Visited

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Barbados, Cambodia, Canada, Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Laos, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French part), Spain, Thailand, United States, Vatican City State, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Puerto Rico, United States