Hi! My name is Anastasia, I’m from Russia but feel like my home is all over the world, in the hearts of old and new friends that I meet. I started travelling solo with low budget or no budget when I was 16, it’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, meeting new people and cultures and being immersed into the diversity of the world. I’m an aspiring photographer and writer. Professionally I’m a freelance English teacher so a couple of hours a day I have to work but other than that I want to travel and experience every part of your beautiful city/town/country. I am equally glad to talk and learn about each other and to be a quiet guest if you’re having a difficult tiresome day. I’m in love with animals of all sorts and back at home I’m rescuing homeless cats and dogs providing them with warmth, love and food for the winter. I find our planet an incredibly beautiful place and want to see as much of it as possible during my lifetime, nature and shared experience with people who have similar values is what drives me.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To be honest I regret that I haven’t tried couchsurfing before because the point of the platform resonates with my values in life a lot - so I know that the people I might meet here will most likely also be most interested in new experience, new friendships and life spent to its fullest. It feels to me that while not having tried CS before, I’ve deprived myself of experiencing life the way locals live it and making new friends.

Interests

• poetry
• photography
• live music
• guitar
• piano
• hiking
• nature
• learning languages
• vegetarianism
• indie music
• animal rescue
• summer festivals
• lowkey lifestyle
• northern nature

Music, Movies, and Books

My favourite music is difficult to put a genre on but I’d say melodic indie, dream-pop, some classic of alternative rock. My favourite bands would be Florence + the machine, Hozier, London grammar, Lorde and Daughter.

My favourite films are either adventure dramas like Into The Wild or psychological explorations like The Hours, Melancholy, Cracks. I love the darker Russian experimental films as well.

My favourite books would be Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Dostoyevsky, Pasternak and Tolstoy classics. I am a big fan of the poetry of Brodsky, Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hitchhiked alone through the south of Iceland with a tent, meeting the most incredible people and falling in love with northern nature.

Teach, Learn, Share

I’m very interested in picking up some words from your language and if you wish, introducing you to some basics of Russian. Also I can teach you a bit of piano and guitar - or vice verse, gain some experience.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Will be happy to share my photography experience with you or even if you’d like that, take an impromptu photoshoot of you. Can absolutely help you about the house if needed :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Belarus, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Russian Federation, United Kingdom