*I'll be studying in USA, so won't be able to host. But it'd be lovely to meet with locals.*

Hello, my name is María Dolores (or Malola). :)

Vegetarian atheist teetotaler book lover light hippie with open mind and heart and who loves trekking, language learning and memes. I definitely prefer the quietness and loneliness of nature than loud and crowded places. I'm not shy, but some sort of introvert. *shrugs*

On a side note: I looooove hitch-hiking and wild camping, so if you come all smelly and disgusting ( :v ), it's OK. We still love you. (But, you still have to bathe. Seriously. S-E-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y.)

Having lived away from my hometown on several occasions I know how convenient can be when a local takes your under their wing. Know for sure that my arms are open and that you can crash on my couch as any friend of mine would.
I've travelled by myself a lot, even by hitch-hiking and I've done lots of wild camping, also by myself (I once had to sleep next to a dead cow in a freezing cold weather with my tent dripping, sheesh... :v )... so, I'm well aware of how annoying (best scenario) or dangerous/worrisome (worst scenario) harassment/unwanted attention can be for women solo travelers.
This is a safe place for women as well as men... as well as LGBTQ people.
So... Wamkelekile... ;)

You're encouraged to hop around the city/go gallivanting by yourself (hopefully I can show you the city, but most likely I'll have stuff/work to do); however CS is for bonding and I'm not running a hotel, so you're expected to socialise and share your experiences.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

"A stranger is a friend you haven't met yet." -Andy Dick.
"Stranger, if you passing meet me and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me? And why should I not speak to you?" -Walt Whitman.
"Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it." -Hebrews 13:2, Common English Bible (CEB).
「旅人をねんごろにせよ」-Pika Pika Ojisan. (Don't forget to be kind to strangers.)
"Give me your tired, your poor, /Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, /The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. /Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: /I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” -Emma Lazarus. (A bit too much but you get the point.)
"Hiketeia is ritual. Hiketeia is law. It is never to be ignored. (...) Refusal... denial is unthinkable. It is not simply hospitality. It is more than opening our door to another." -Wonder Woman/Diane Prince.
"WHAT inn is this /Where for the night /Peculiar traveller comes?" -Emily Dickinson. (Yes, I'm aware it's about the ephemerality of life and the persistence of death. Still... it remains ambigously useful.)
"HOSPITALITY, n. The virtue which induces us to feed and lodge certain persons who are not in need of food and lodging." -Ambrose Bierce. ( lol I know it's a bit cynic, it's his Devil's Dictionary. =P )
"We are, each of us, the one wakens first, /who stirs first and sees, there in the first dawn, /the stranger." -Louise Glück.
"But I know that a good God reigneth, /Generous-hearted and kind and true; /Since unto a worm like me he deigneth /To send so royal a gift as you." -Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
"Una ciudad no está hecha de calles y edificios históricos. Está hecha de gente y cuanta más gente uno conoce en esa ciudad, más la quiere. [X] son mis amigos que viven ahí." -Pedro Mairal. (A city is not made of streets and historic buildings. It's made out of people and the more people one gets to know, the more one loves it. [X city] are my friends that live there.)
"And too often, our differences become a source of conflict. But it doesn't have to be this way. Next time you're walking down the street, look up. Say "Hello!" to that stranger passing you by. Imagine what it's like to walk in their shoes." -Zhu Li.
"It seems to me that caring about someone is the greatest adventure of them all." -Sea Hawk.

Interests

• books
• literature
• animal welfare
• ethics
• running
• music
• atheism
• cultural studies
• philosophy
• religion
• hitchhiking
• nature
• trekking
• vegetarianism
• wild camping
• cultural exchange
• jurisprudence
• queer theory
• criminal law
• intellectual property
• metaethics
• sentiocentrism

Music, Movies, and Books

Well, I'd love you to recommend me your favorite movies, books, and music.

Of films, whatever has Meryl Streep. She's the closest there is to a goddess.
Also, I'm utterly obsessed with Disney's Frozen, so you must show reverence towards Queen Anna. :v

Of books, non-fiction, classic literature.
At the moment I'm UTTERLY OBSESSED with Emily Dickinson's poetry and I think I'm about to become a Janeite.

Of music, P!nk, Alejandro Sanz, Do As Infinity.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-I hitch-hiked by myself in Japan (in Tohoku and Kyushu) and through France and Germany. (And with friends in Ecuador and Shikoku.)
-I lived in the Amazonia in a refuge for animals called AmaZOOnico doing volunteer work and a monkey almost bit off my finger. :'v I can't use that finger for fingerprint readers.
-I did Santiago's Way in Spain (115 km of pure fun... XD ).
-I trekked 出羽三山 (Dewa Sanzan, the three sacred mountains of Dewa) in Japan. It's fairly short, but plain stunning.
-I do (present tense) the best tacos ever. ;) D-I-V-I-N-E.
-I went on safari (game watching) with my friends and hosts from Cape Town. Those cheetahs are so cool.
-I've seen the sunrise at the top of Lion's Head (South Africa) and mount Fuji (Japan). Trust me: it was damn fine... It just pierces right through you. *watery eyes*

Teach, Learn, Share

We could share tips on how to travel, hitch-hike, backpack or trek... Or we could discuss about art and the human condition.
Or help each other improve our respective languages. Regarding this... mi perfil está en inglés, pues, porque por defecto éste se vuelve la 'lingua franca', pero mi idioma nativo es español.
一年間に私は日本に住んでいたわ。エクアドルに日本語が話せる人あまりいない、それで私と日本語で話したら感謝しているの。
De même, mon français est très basique, mais j'apprécierais si nous pouvions pratiquer un peu.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Colombia, France, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Peru, Poland, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ecuador, Japan, South Africa, United States