I am an active and social person from Europe with lots of international friends and, always happy to make more. My hobbies include sports (various water sports, basketball, gym), history, organizing events, solving social issues, drawing maps, dancing and learning about local architecture and food (if you help me find the best bread in your country, I'll be forever your friend). I have lots of exchange experiences, from a short school year trip to France, to hosting internationals arriving to Vilnius, Lithuania. Even when living in Vilnius, half of my friends here are internationals. I've hosted people from India, Hong Kong, Belarus, most (but not all) coming to Vilnius as part of AIESEC projects. While I've myself stayed for a week in Puerto Rico with a local family through Couchsurfing and with two separate host families while on an AIESEC exchange project in Mexico for 2 months.
I am also quite an attaching person, I have strong ties with my family and friends, and some people I've met through international experiences have become friends for life.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

From my past experience I know how amazing it is to find active international people, to become friends and I believe that Couchsurfing is providing the best of this opportunity. I'm keen on experiencing the world from inside, avoiding hotels and truly getting to see how people live. I'm also happy to host people from abroad as I'm always interested in the life stories of people travelling. Some hosts just want to host people and share an hour or two of talk, while some want to open the eyes of the traveler to help him/her truly discover the host country. As a traveler, I'm happy with both types of experiences - one giving more opportunity of individual discovery, the other bringing a huge package that's there for the taking. As a host, I consider myself to be in the middle. I'll try to make the most of the potential friendship and I'll try to sell my country as best as I can. But hey, no pressure here. If you want to stay for a night and have other plans than talking about travelling all day, it's all good!!!

Interests

There's lots of stuff I've tried and even more I'd love to try.
I'm very active, meaning I love active travelling, sweaty hikes, speedy wakeboards, cycling trips, road trips, basketball, dancing. Give me a challenge and I'll take it. Give me an old sport to practice and I will, give me a new one to try and I will.
At the same time I'm fascinated by history and local architecture. These things drive me crazy, even if it's just a village with 3 buildings.
Finally, digging into modern and historical reasons why the people in another country are different, why they have patterns that others don't, what kind of social issues the country has and why, what makes the psychology of these people unique - these questions are probably even more important to me than the hikes and drives around.
Finally, it comes down to the people I'm making these discoveries with. Sometimes it's best to do it alone, but most of the times I prefer to feel the country - actively or besides a mug of beer - with someone else.
I'm also always happy to dive into discussions about politics, business, economics, human psychology, social issues, etc. My experience says that there is always an awesome topic to discover with anybody you meet.

• architecture
• digital design
• dancing
• hiking
• surfing
• sailing
• sports
• business
• cartography
• economics
• history
• psychology
• visual arts

Music, Movies, and Books

I listen mostly to 80s music, somehow it drives me best! However, classical & piano music helps me relax and somehow get to a deeper level of pleasure.
Sometimes I watch classical fictional movies and sometimes I prefer historical action movies, it really depends. Great comedy is always a pleasure, though! I'd watch Friends series over and over again.
My favourite book - the Count of Monte Christo - is the perfect fusion of historical fiction, mockery of society and triumph of noble values. I've recently also discovered books about human psychology. I particularly enjoy Mark Manson on this matter.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Definitely – living and volunteering in Mexico for 2 months in 2018. It was an eye opening experience for someone who has never travelled alone. I was hosted by local families and thus got to know the country from inside. I was the head teacher in the project with an aim to provide English classes as well as international experience for underpriviledged children in Mexico city poor suburbs. There I saw the dirty side of the country which surprised me as being full of joy and incredible tastes. The Mexican food is something worth bringing a few kilograms home. But the best part was the people – the family members, the project friends, the random new friends I‘ve met – 2 of them became my friends for life. The weekend trips, deep talks and adventures we shared remain some of the dearest memories I cherish. Also I learned some Spanish from zero during the trip - another advantage of being thrown in an unknown environment!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you everything about GDP – our most pronounced and yet so misunderstood economic indicator! I can teach you about Eastern Europe (and perhaps about Ukraine and Russia) – what are our issues, why part of it is at war right now. I can teach you about cartography – how some random Google maps screenshot can be turned into a painting you‘d like to hang on your wall.
I want to learn at least a bit of the local language once I arrive to a foreign country (genuinely). When I went to Armenia, it took me 3 days to learn how to say „Thank you“ because it‘s so damn long. But I did – and the feeling of appreciation from the locals for the effort was truly rewarding. I want to learn about the issues of the country, both modern and historical. I want to learn about its nature, its people, their values and how such culture evolved. I want to learn the local music, architecture, dances, sports and other things that connect people. Foodtasting too!!!
And sharing these experiences with someone is always incredible.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I‘ll cook some Lithuanian dishes at your place if you‘d like! I‘ll share my enthusiasm for what you find interesting, because that‘s the fullest experience of the country one can get. I‘ll share my insights on the social, political, historical issues of your region and mine. Finally, I find that one of the topics of my interest that particularly create incredible connections is human psychology. Sharing discussions about that is many times eye-opening. And, if you‘re into it, I‘ll be most happy to share the new experiences I have in your country with you – we can go to bars, to trips, to dances, to sports activities together. I‘ll go there for sure and if you‘re into it too, I‘ll be most happy to do it together. But no pressure again – I‘ll be happy to try all that alone as well!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, United Kingdom