I am a 35 years old guy from Belarus, I am single and got 2 beautiful kids, working in IT/software industry. I enjoy visiting new places and speaking new languages, as well as letting new places and languages come to my home.

UPDATE as of Oct 2018: I plan to resume hosting in Minsk soon

ANDREI THE HOST

I like to host people simply because I know what stress it might be to find a couch when you have a tight budget. I will try to hang out with you / cook for you when I have time and energy for that. I have a daytime job though so sometimes I need time for myself / friends / family.

RULES

* First, you are away from home, and I'm home, so it's important your issues are solved and you move on refreshed and recharged. Good sleep, good meal, clean clothes, etc etc -- I will try to give you all of that whenever I can. If you need something else -- just ask, I will be glad to help you but I cannot read your thoughts.
* Next, there are no strict rules, just be reasonable as treat my home as your own. That also means that you can use whatever you need. Mi casa tu casa :)
* You will need to leave a handwritten note in my guestbook before you leave, preferrably in your native language
* I work at daytime so it's best if you arrive before 8 or after 6. Otherwise you will have to meet me to pick up the keys.
* It's very nice if you can wash the dishes or clean up a bit, or cook, but only if you feel like doing it. Really, no pressure at all, I'm quite a relaxed guy
* You can eat any food you see in the house. I understand traveling may be hard and you may get hungry :) It could be nice if you leave some of the food for other couchsurfers, or ... ummm... for me :)
* Be nice and reasonable and we will be good friends

PHILOSOPHY / WEIRD THINGS I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO

Below are some of the things I like doing. You might consider doing the same:
* Drink tap water instead of buying water. I once payed 2 euro for a glass of water in restaurant
* Look at the price tags and spend wisely. Not to spend money on things I don't need. Spend money to solve your problems
* Not to waste food, buy/cook only as much as needed (thanks Marek ;)
* Use bike as an alternative to public transport
* Not to watch TV
* Not to drink alcohol
* Swim in cold water

MY HOME

* You get 1 couch and a shared room/kitchen. The couch is not super comfortable, but me and many of my guests slept there. 2 people can also fit.
* I have a lot of floorspace in the living room where you can sleep in your sleeping bags. I don't have any sleeping bags.
* I will try to provide you with clean bedsheets, blanket and towel, but I may not have enough time to wash them between guests. So you can either have used ones, or bring your own ones.
* I have a washing machine and all these chemicals to use it. You can wash your clothes
* You can use the kitchen: kettle, stove + pans/stewpots, coffee machine, fridge, cutlery and sink.
* I have Wi-Fi. Yes it is free, just for you! I can also let you use my laptop
* I can cut your hair (see my profile photo for a type of haircut I can do)
* You can use my bike or transportation card

MY GUESTS

Things I've heard from my guests/friends:
* You are like an angel on our way (actually 3 people have called me an angel);
* You are like my older brother;
* I will always be grateful for all you've done to me;
* This was the first night that I could sleep well, better than AirBNB.
* A lot of other stuff in languages I don't understand; hope those are all nice things.
Most of my guests I've met again after they've stayed with me.

LOG
* Victor stayed for 1 night. played crocodile with my kids
* Dair stayed for 1 week. helped me clean the flat, cooked for me
* Gabriel stayed with me in Minsk. Cooked for me and my kids, walked with me, cleaned my fridge, brought me chak chak from Kazan.
* Alena stayed with me in Tallinn. Cooked for me and sick Nastya, walked with me, brought me treats, cleaned my floor, invaded my bathroom with girl's cosmetics. We hosted my Tallinn farewell party together. I didn't cut her hair.
* Dima and Ulyana hosted me in Stockholm. Cooked for me, walked with me, took me to the Bjorno, helped buying The Little Prince. So cool.
* Alper -- my guest from Turkey. Stayed 1 night only. Went swimming in the refreshing waters with me :) I had to kick him out at 6am.
* Dmitry — my finnish host / friend. Cooked for us, showed us the city, sang with us in karaoke. Cool guy.
* Nick — my Belarusian / New Zealand friend. Went to Helsinki with me. Joulu on tass.
* Sonia and Jonathan — french cyclists going through different countries, right now went to Sweden. Cooked some food. Spoke french with me.
* Patrick — dude from Australia cycling through Europe. Made a few peanut butter sandwiches for me. Showed me his touring bags.
* Fabien -- French cyclist fighting with wind :) Helped around the house, kept the key, helped other guests
* Natasha, Sergey and Alex -- family from Minsk cycling in Finland and Estonia on vacation. Little Alex missed youtube so much. Funny guy, and very nice family. Brought me some food. Left very carefully in the morning without waking other guests up.
* Nastia, Nastia and Vitaly -- family from Russia cycling through Finland and Estonia on vacation. Bought me food, fixed my bike, did my laundry, cool guys.
* Henry cyclist from UK, stayed for 1 night, cool guy
* Omar and Christian -- 2 Italians cycling from Italy to Mongolia. Ate all my food and went to All You Can Eat restaurant for more! Funny guys. In fact they had to stay for 1 more night because of problems with bike. Their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=rideyourtravel
* Jonas and Jakob -- 2 students from Germany on their 3rd hitchhiking trip. Very polite guys. I cooked them food twice. And fried eggs for breakfast. They cleaned dishes after themselves. I didn't hang out with them too much. We went to swim in refreshing waters of Baltic sea (3 times!)
* Taising -- Taiwanese student traveling the world during gap year. We went to a party together. He cleaned my dishes. I cut his hair. Funny chap.
* Mara -- Brazilian girl travelling and seeking herself. Taught me some Portuguese. I taught her some Russian. We spoke mostly Spanish. I didn't cut her hair.
* Dmitry -- Russian / Finnish guy who hosted me in Helsinki and became a good friend. Came to me for a weekend. Cooked me and Mara a breakfast. Taught me how to make coffee if you don't have coffee filters. Taught me some Finnish. I cut his hair.
* Simon -- a cyclist from UK who went to North Cap and then went to Southern Europe. We cooked a dinner together. He's drunk a lot of my Old Monk. He cooked us a full English breakfast. I cut his hair. His FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2018692158381799/?fref=nf

ANDREI THE TRAVELLER

My check list for a new country:
* buy The Little Prince book (got a collection of 20+ of them) Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOQupZlesB/?taken-by=andrusha83
* buy a large flag and walk around the city wrapped in the flag, like this: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj-dgcUFPBL/?taken-by=andrusha83
* go on a bicycle through the city without navigation and get lost
* swim in a local reservoire of water
* make an urban sketch
* find a couch
* go to a local party
* record a videoblog like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAXF7d6hH9U

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I like the idea of sharing what you have

Interests

HOBBIES / INTERESTS

* Languages. I speak about 10 languages, more or less, and always interested to pick up new ones. I won a Slovak language challenge at Bratislava Polyglot Conference in 2018. I completed a 3-month Chinese language challenge in 2017 and have succeeded in speaking for 15 minutes with a native on Day 90, video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3wtLvdLGm4
* Guitar. I enjoy playing and singing. Been a bass player in a rock group which gave 2 concerts and disbanded.
* Bicycle. I completed one 80 km bike marathon in Belarus in 2016. I haven't taken a bus or metro in Vienna, used only bike. I rode bikes in Paris, London, Vienna, Minsk and other places.
* Sketching. I have an instagram with my drawings: https://www.instagram.com/thispictureisawesomedude/
* Timelapses. I do timelapses from time to time: https://www.instagram.com/mahadeotimelapse/
* My friends and I have a travelling duck who goes places: https://www.instagram.com/ducktravelling/
* Reading. Here is my Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4755349-adolgushin
* Web design. I messed around with Perl and HTML to create my web site: http://adolgushin.com (discontinued)
* Swimming / running / cycling / push-ups etc. I enjoy different kinds of physical activities to stay fit. My record is 47 push-ups in one set; 12km running; 80km marathon on bike.
* Vegetarianism. I eat meat on and off. I prefer not to eat meat when I can.
* Gym. Been going to gym regularly for 2 months

• drawing
• music
• languages
• the little prince

Music, Movies, and Books

Dire Straits, The Beatles, various rock ballads
Russian/Belarusian music: Цой, Ноль, N.R.M., Би-2, БГ, Любэ, Дюна
Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Amelie
Shantaram, Mahabharata, Master and Margarita

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Did a 3-months Chinese language challenge to hold a 15-min conversation with a native

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach and discuss nything I know about languages and language learning, and would gladly practice any language I speak.
I can share recommendations about Minsk and come browse the city with you.

What I Can Share with Hosts

* Couch / floor space in shared room
* A towel
* Wi-Fi
* A laptop
* Local SIM card
* Slippers that I've stolen from a hotel haha
* Tea & Coffee
* Food & Snacks
* Can cut your hair (see my profile photo for a type of haircut I can do)
* You can use my bike or transportation card

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belarus, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belarus, Estonia