Maria Pelufo

Maria came to the rescue and so finally I had something great to do on Canada Day. Thanks so much for the amazing ride to the falls and for introducing me to Liz, Thomas and Anas. It was so great meeting you and I had an aweseome lot of fun. Hope we will meet again before I'll have to go back to Europe!!!

 

Maria is certainly the mother figure of the cs group in Toronto. The center pole of organization and the mastermind behind the wonderful events i attended. I had a great time with the amazing cs group, made wonderful friends and learn't from their dedication to this project. Maria is a no nonsense yet sweet and caring soul who will run a mile to help others. Abrazo..

What to say, what to say...

Maria is one of the most open and generous people I know. At one point she had four Couch Surfers staying at her house, all coming in and out on very different schedules. She took us in, she fed us, she acted as a surrogate mother for a week. She gave me a great deal to think about. Life was good. Very good. I'll definently go back again.

Amazing woman all round.

Maria is still a complex mystery for me because we couldn't talk so much, but the fact that she hosted me and a friend just after some minutes spent together shows her awesome kindness..
I really hope to see you again, come to Europe !!!

Don't let age fool you. Maria is a great CS-spirit and has the openness (dare I say fearlessness?) of someone half of her age. She's very active in CS, welcoming and just knows how to connect with people (I suppose that this partially explains her professional abilities with counselling). If you're in Toronto, it'd be almost impossible not to meet her at one point or another. Cheers to Maria and here's to more "running-into-each-other moments"!

 

After quite a bit of correspondence between us, related to working out ways of making CS even better, I finally got to host this amazing ambassador with her partner Cat.
The hearts of our little family are given to Maria forever.
Whatever she does, she is seeking out ways to improve, to contribute.
Beware: she will fill your house with products, cook for you like a meteor, refuse to let you touch the dishes (no, seriously), and spoil your child rotten!
But what impressed me most, was how she tried to find out what every surfer she met (during a bubbling CS Invasion of Niagara) might need, and how could she help.

I am looking forward to surfing her own couch now, and if I were even inclined to forget, my daughter wouldn't let me.

Maria and Cat are fab people to be around, Cat even has lived close to my house in Mumbai, so he know where I am coming from, it is so nice to know them.

Peace... :)

Maria represents everything that is AWESOME about couchsurfing. She is a wonderful, warm, intelligent and interesting person. Also, she speaks, i think, like 15 languages... very impressive! If you get a chance to meet Maria in your travels... do it! She's great!

I had the joy of meeting Maria at my very first CS meeting in Vienna - I am still a "CS virgin" and love to learn from the experienced couch surfers!
I enjoyed Marias stories about living in foreign countries (while working in one of these lousy IT industries... ;-) )
Definitely a big contributor to the CS community!

Maria is so warm, so loving, so fun... exceptional person

Maria, I'm not sure where to begin with all the positive things I could say. First, she housed us last minute as we had complications, Then she taught me how to make empanadas (mmmhmm tasty, will for sure be making them again), and Third she was a blast to be around. The stories and the people that came to her house were all wonderful, and when someone is able to entertain so many wonderful people, You can only imagine what kind of spirit this person has. Maria, Thank you!

 

In Italian is "dimmi con chi vai e ti diro' chi sei".
I met Maria, as well as many other people, at CSTO meetings, they really made me feel at home, the terrestrial one.
I absolutely can vouch for her for any host or guest, she's amazing!! ;)

Maria is a wonderful person, very warm, friendly, funny and accepting.

 

Maria is a bundle of smiling energy, and very involved in CS. Her attention and care for people and community issues is great for eveyone involved. She loves CS, is a generous host and curious traveller.

Maria is one of the most outstanding women there are! Having wonderful children (especially one which I love very much!), one of the biggest heart you can meet and a wonderful refreshing character, I am very pleased to had the chance to meet her! Thank you for all your kindness and for welcoming the way you did!!
I hope very much to meet her again as soon as possible, maybe in Toronto but definitively back in Europe!

She is a friendly and simpathetic person! She is awesome and she love brazilian culture!

A very refine lady and mother, extremely educated and down to Earth and a generous personality who never count. A rare person able to deep intellectual confrontation as well as mud playing :)
It was an honor to host her and all of her friends at my home.

 

Maria is essential in keeping the Toronto CS fire burning! She knows where things are happening, and she definitely knows where to go for good food or a relaxed chat. Moreover, she's a great conversationalist.

Like a siamese cat, she will surprise you and not do or say the thing you would expect, which had a positive influence on my thinking processes :)

Maria cooked a tasty international dinner in excellent company, they even had Belgian beer...

UPDATE: even from across the Atlantic, Maria's friendship is reachable!

See you in Europe: Vienna and Brugge.

I have met Maria at the CS party in Toronto and I really enjoyed meeting with her. She is very active CS member and great party companion. She seems to have a lot of friends who like her very much and I am not surprised because she is very interesting, nice person and fun to be around and I really hope to meet her many times more.

Maria is like a second mother. (I wish my mom was so liberal.) She makes sure everyone is taken care of. I'm happy she is an ambassador for Toronto because she would make anyone proud.

Maria is a cool lady - with great stories and an exceptionally interesting life - she is always up for a CS event with camera in hand! -
We met at a clothing swap - And I can't wait to share more stories with her.

 

I have "known" Maria via the Toronto CS group for some time, but finally got to meet her in person at cs meet in Little Italy. it was great talking to her in person and I look forward to talking with her further.

maria is sweet, open hearted and minded, a great cook, a great (and self entertained) joke teller, and one of the most generous and selfless people i've met. you're bound to have tons of fun with her, as well as deep conversations and yummy food. <3

I met Marie in a great vegetarian restaurant in Toronto and ended up surfing her couch after having had a tour through Toronto at night. It was great to meet her and I can definitely recommend meeting and staying with her. Maybe she even ends up buying my car for her daughter...

 

Maria has a great bubbly personality and is so charming! We are such social butterflies that we spend so much time making sure everyone else is having fun; we haven't had enough time to sit down and chat ourselves. We must rectify this!! lol

 

Although Maria was exhausted when i arrived at her home, she welcomed me generously and it's true i had a great time with her kittens. Looking forward getting to know you via email and hosting you in Amsterdam!

 

I've had the pleasure of Maria's company at various CS events around town and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to any one looking for a couch or providing one. Maria has a warm personality and a genuine interest in people. I love that she also appreciates good food and the therapeutic nature of a happy, purring cat!

 

Maria!!
We met in Montreal while she was being hosted by Ann, in the first couchsurfing meeting that I attended to. She is a great person, lovely and we could communicate in any language!! :)
She invited me to visit her in Toronto, and today I am getting there!! :)
Mariiiia, obrigada pelo convite!! beijos!!!

 

How can you describe Maria? You just can't! She has a great personality and speaks more languages than any person I ever met.
Good for me she let my brother travel with me further on - but it was close and I feel sorry for her that she had to let him go ;-)

Wow!!!! it was fantastic experience. I love couchsurfing sooooo much!!!! To have the chance to meet with so wonderful people. Maria is a beautiful person, her and her group of friends from Toronto, touched my heart and add a lot of sun to the gray weekend we had in Montreal. This is just the begining of our friendship. lots of love to you!!! besos

 

Maria is just an awesome person!!!=) I take off my hat to her languages knowledge! She has a great sense of humour and lots of stories to tell (I love her urban legends!=))
She's always supportive and she's a wonderful host and a great friend and an amazing cook and a warm host and and and... she's just spectacular!!!
I'm happy that I met her!!!

Maria was and is my Ersatz-Muttilein with whom I cuddled every time I saw her at a gathering in Toronto. She seems innocent at first, but in reality she has a very juicy humour :D I hope we see each other again in Summer when I find my way back to Canada.

 

Trusty person, and good friend, and honest. And my mother.

 

Maria is fabulous, warm, lovely and open. Every time we have hung out I realize that I need to hang out again to have even more long conversations about almost anything.

Maria is the the best host, mother, friend, teacher, listener, counselor, comedienne, cook, traveler, camper, chauffeur, cheerleader, conversationalist, storyteller, and so much more. A true ambassador for the CS ideology, and for universal love and friendship.

I love The Garden, and her roommates are equally welcoming and great to be around. Merci d'être vous Maria!

Maria and I discussed our various CS experiences. I'm mostly a surfer and she's mostly a host. Maria's an extremely kind and generous person - and an even more kind and generous CS host. Perhaps I should surf her CS to experience that hospitality! lol Any CSer staying with Maria is very lucky indeed!

Maria she's the angel for Canada, she is wonderfull woman, and try to help me how much she can when i came to canada.
don't miss meet here any time you came to Toronto

 

Maria drove a group of us to Cambridge for a potluck and then got up in the morning with very little sleep to bring everyone coffee and breakfast. She's warm hearted, openminded and above all fun! I'm looking forward to more adventures with her soon.

 

Maria is a very friendly and interesting person. She is extremely generous and you will be well looked after if she hosts you.

maria may seem sweet and innocent but she is SAUCY! i love her dangerous wit and i look forward to the steak she has promised to cook for me when i surf her place:) i'm going to surprise and praise her with this:ca c'est un beau filet!, esa es un bistec deliciozo!, ouesto e uno bellissimo!, dos ist eim schoner steak!, tosc um chirrosco fantastico! how's THAT maria!:) am i close?

Maria is an angel !!! she's sweet funny and very smart ! I surfed her couch for 3 nights and she really made me feel at home and welcome like no others before!she cared about my "fly problems" helping to find a solution, she also took me in a great couchsurfing dinner wich I had lot of fun!Thank you for all Maria ,you're simply great! I wish to see you in italy soon!

 

Mariaaaaa :) We met in a very nice pub in Vienna thru a CS meeting, while she lived in our beautiful city! Had a good time talking and so much fun! Maria and her daughter Ana are two very kind persons and always open for a joke! *hehe* Maria was afraid becouse of her age to join the meeting (I just quote you: dinosaur), but I´m very happy that she did and was part of such a nice meeting! Great that you enjoy your live in Toronto ...and I´ll come 4 sure to CANADAAAA :)) thx 4 invitation *lol* Best wishes from Vienna!!

 

maria is very sweet and smile a lot....she's the best salsa dancer!!

Maria is such a nice&friendly person. Even though I couchsurfed weekdays when she was so busy, She took me to CS'meeting in Sneaky Dee's and invited me to another meeting. Her cats are so adorable! You must be a kitty lover:)

Maria is a great girl with a warm heart, she let me stay without much warning, made me dinner and more importantly made me feel very welcome.
Do her dishes and she will love you for life :)

She knows how to make people happy!!!

 

finally we know each other and I don`t want to miss maria anymore!! It is always great fun with her, cause she`s a really humorous lady and her heart is wide open. can`t wait to see you again!

 

Maria is really even better than i heard about her.
She is amazing. She took all of us in her condo and what a blast...
She looks shy but...well we (you, me and one or two other person) all know about the panther story...(-:
and lovely family too...

 

Maria hosted a CS party, and it was an awesome one. She is extremely kind, oh and her cats are adorable.

OH MARIA! she is so adorable you just want to continuously hug her!! you think of maria and you just want to smile. she's such a warm and lovely person and amazing with her knowledge of languages! *hugs*

Maria's cats befriended me right away (she said they could tell I'm a cat lover *g*), especially Miss Lots of Spots, and I loved them. Their owner and I didn't see much of each other over the few days I was there as we were both pretty busy, but when we did coincide Maria was a friendly, accommodating host. If you're an independent cat lover, you'll enjoy staying with her. :)

 

Maria is such a sweet person, she is helpful, kind and friendly. She has made me feel very welcome, which has been great as i'm travelling alone and have not been to Toronto before. She helped very much taking my mind off my homesickness - thanks for the hug & pancakes! :) The mini tour around the city at night was amazing, loved seeing all the lights!
I would definitely recommend Maria as a CS host - but she's very popular so book quick!

Maria is the kind of person you cannot but appreciate being with: simple, fun, gentle, impressive geographic background, and obviously the most beautiful cats of the world... I hope she loved our brittan pancakes!!!

I had slept tow day in flat`s Maria, very nice person

Maria Pelufo is one of the most interesting, warm-hearted, sophisticated, easy-going people I have ever met anywhere (and I've met a lot of people). More than a couch surf, staying with her during the Hot Docs Film Festival last month was like having ascended to a higher spiritual plain. Really. There are few peoople in the world who are so fun, honest and gentle. Mi casa es su casa. Thanks Maria!

 

It was incredibly nice to stay at Maria's Place! Although it was at the very last minute, she offered us a good night in her own bed! I hope we'll meet again and once again thank you so much, don't hesitate to call us when you'll come to Montreal.

 

Maria came to the meeting with one of her doughters. She is very nice and clever woman. I learnd from her an interesting fact about Polish guys ;-) Wish you nice stay in Toronto if we shouldn't meet again before you move.

We will meet again soon. First of all I want to thank you for all good things that you had done for me in Vienna !
Maria is very nice and kind ,and when I first meet her I realized that she is "building" all the things around her in a complete harmomy !
You will hear some live music soon:),Maria!