My name is pronounced, eye-lish. Yes. Just like Billie Eilish, but I can probably sing better. ;) I grew up in Seattle but am half Irish- half American. Most of my family live in Ireland but I still have roots in the US.

I moved to Zürich as an au pair in 2017 and decided to stay there and return to school. I completed my MSc thesis in Environmental Science, specifically in marine conservation through molecular biology and bioinformatics. I am very passionate about this wonderful planet we live on and strive to live sustainably through minimal consumption of resources.

In November I made the move to the UK for a new job and man has it been a rough ride! For about 4 months I lived in London during the peak of the pandemic and decided it was not the city for me. Working remote has some perks, so I decided to move to Bristol. This was a good decision. I love the architecture and how close I am to nature. The small city life is more my vibe, but I often go back to London to see friends and go in to the office.

You can learn more about me and what I get up to through my Instagram @irisheilish2 🤗

I look forward to meeting you!

P.S. My housemate and I are both fully vaccinated.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like people! I love sharing knowledge and passions and I love learning about others, their culture, history, and experiences.

Interests

• animals
• dogs
• environment
• beer
• baking
• reading
• hiking
• sports
• soccer
• psychology
• food
• feminism
• learning
• sciences
• kids
• ireland
• equality
• conservation
• marine life

Music, Movies, and Books

Books: Tattoos on the Heart, The Alchemist, Harry Potter (duh), Noami Klein books, Sapiens

Not a big movie or TV person but I do get my occasional binge in.

Music: pretty much everything but I enjoy rock (folk and hard) and country the most. I’m also a sucker for some good 00s and 90s hip-hop/pop.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Part of my master thesis included field work in the Mozambique Channel. We lived and worked from a large French research vessel called, Marion Dufresne. We sampled from two different very small and remote, French Territory islands. This is a renowned ship and this experience was once-in-a-life-time!

My friend and I did a Klettersteig or Via Feratta, a cliff hike, from Mürren to Gimmelwald in the Swiss Alps at around1600m. This was a thrilling experience that I hope to do again somewhere else!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, French Southern Territories, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States