Hi, guys! My name is Alex and I currently live in Cluj - one of the large cities in Romania. I live in the flat my husband (Flaviu) and I own, together with our cats and well educated dogs :). I work as a translator (freelancer) but also have professional interests in photography and graphics (illustration). My hobbies include a lot of crazy stuff like street art, travelling (not tourism), rock climbing, scuba diving, music, horror movies and rescuing tons of puppies (good thing my loving family is in the same boat with me:). I am deeply inspired by artists such as Manu Chao, Marc Namour (La Canaille), Marc Chagall, Chuck Palahniuk - just for a quick 10 seconds brainstorm. One of my main struggles so far was to avoid getting a conventional and time consuming office job and to try to do things that I find meaningful. Sometimes I managed, other times not so much. I believe that us humans have the potential to have a worthy, thrilling, free life, but that we are also bound to our share of inherent misery and limitations. The question is, maybe, - and this is a cliche too, I know - what we do from there on. What I find to be strikingly elusive to our views - under the all encompassing specter of individualism and the sanctity of making profit - is that us humans do need each other and that we, as individuals, are not more important than the rest of us. This idea seems well obvious, but I understood at one point that it-s very difficult to truly live by it, especially in such times in which the sense of community has disintegrated . Now I am at the point in which I simply desire to bring bits of hope here and there in this beautiful, but broken world.

Pourquoi je suis sur Couchsurfing

For me the difference between traveling and tourism is essential. I am mesmerized by the figure of the lone traveler, who sets out in his journeys out of restlessness and an overwhelming curiosity, out of the burning desire to know constantly more. Such an individual is ready to sacrifice his comfort, his status, even mere existence, just to roam the lands freely. Because of the degree of development civilization has come to achieve (the planet is perfectly mapped and the means of travel across it have never been so multiple and safe), the need of such exposure seems hardly to be the case... Yet you can barely expect to truly come into contact with the otherness of a culture unless you emerge in it by creating true relationships with it-s individuals, relationships that are nor governed, nor biased by moneymaking... just good old friendship :)

Centres d'intérêt

• pets
• arts
• street art
• vegetarian
• music
• friends
• watching movies
• social activism
• street photography
• photojournalism

Morceaux de musique, films et livres

Gogol Bordello, Manu Chao, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, The Shin (Georgian jazz band, not indie group :) ), balkan jazz, Marilyn Manson :D
Terrence Malick is my favorite movie director, Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of the best movies I have ever seen and Miyazaki simply makes me the happiest creature alive.
I love Andre Gide, Roland Barthes, Will Self, Houellebecq, Ch. Palahniuk but for me Le Petit Prince could never be overturned by any lucid masters of the cynicism :)

Une aventure extraordinaire que j'ai vécue

Picking up from the trash and managing to rescue - with the help of friends and family - seven puppies that were 3 days old when we found them. Although caring for them was as tough as hell and very resource consuming, they all survived and are now in their forever homes (one of them belongs to my parents who live in my home town and is a huge, wonderful dog you are very likely to meet should you ever drop by).

Enseignez, apprenez, partagez

I can teach whoever is interested one or two things about stencil making, i can take you out on stencil raids at night, or tell you stuff you need in order to have a well balanced dog :)) (in case you never had a dog so far and have no experience with such creatures). I can also show how to make mămăligă or other vegetarian local dishes, teach you poi juggling, tell you the basics I learned during the photography course I recently attended or why I loved Heidegger during university :) Also, I have wonderful friends who would be happy to get together for dinner and meet new and inspiring people.

Ce que j'aimerais partager avec mes hôtes

I am certainly not a good performer :), as I-m of a rather shy character, but I-m always happy to join interesting conversations about the world and the meaning of life.... :))...

Pays que j'ai visités

Bulgaria, England, France, Italy, Montenegro, Serbia

Pays dans lesquels j'ai vécu

England, Romania