My name is Andrew and I've spent the last two years working as an English teacher in a small-ish city called Vladimir! Vladimir used to be the capital of Russia (a looooonnnngggg time ago), but now it's just a normal city located about 180km east of Moscow.

I'm passionate about Buddhist philosophy and I'm going to start studying for my masters degree in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism in August at Naropa University. I really like seeing how Buddhism has evolved in different regions of the world, and I've taken a liking to Vajrayana Buddhism and I'd like to explore it in China, the Himalayas, Mongolia, and in parts of Russia.

Aside from Buddhism, I love learning new languages. Russian is the first foreign language that I've been able to speak freely, and it's super rewarding when I can communicate and share ideas with people through a second language. I'm going to start studying classical Tibetan in August, but I'm also interested in modern Tibetan as well. I would also love to spend some time working with Mongolian and Chinese.

Cooking is another passion of mine! Food is one of the most interesting things to me because food everywhere is different. I love learning about food and cooking techniques that are specific and important in different cultures, and I love brining recipes to people who would have never known about them. It's great when my friends and I cook different recipes together and have a 'feast' of sorts.

When I travel, I love to immerse myself fully in the local culture. My goals are to learn about people's different views on the world, about what they believe is true and about how they experience life, to learn about different languages, and of course, to learn about different foods.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to learn about the areas I travel to. If I want to fully experience the local culture of an area, it makes sense to spend time with the local people of the area. I think that Couchsurfing is a platform that can connect me with different people who are interested in sharing their unique cultures and ways of life, while learning about where I come from and what things have been like for me. Meeting and connecting with people from different parts of the world has been one of the best means of learning about myself and the world, and has helped me want to contribute to a better world for all of us.

Interests

I'm interested in learning about different styles of cooking and different cooking techniques. In addition, I'd like to explore the Silk Road, from China to Turkey.

• animals
• cooking
• hiking
• biology
• neuroscience
• philosophy
• religion
• mountains
• food
• chinese
• buddhism
• farming
• russian
• tibetan
• silkroad
• mongolian

Music, Movies, and Books

I love post-Soviet rap and electronic music. I'm a huge fan of Tommy Ca$h and Little Big, I also love Above and Beyond. Throat singing is also amazing.

I'm not a huge fan of movies, but I like anything that is educational or funny.

I like books about philosophy, evolutionary psychology, and Buddhism.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

At the beginning of my freshman year of university, I weighed 270lbs. I was unhappy about my weight, so I made the decision to change it. I took up rowing and going to the gym and I started to learn about nutrition. Every single day of my freshman year, I was doing something to work towards my goal, and by the end of my freshman year I lost 100lbs.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love learning. I'm always trying to learn new things about every place I visit. I would love to learn as much as possible about a place's authentic and true culture.

I'm very interested in learning how to cook authentic recipes!

I would also love to learn about what people believe!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm a certified EFL teacher and I have two years of experience. I've taught students who have very low levels of English, and I've taught students who are practically fluent speakers. I can share my knowledge of the English language, of course)

If you're interested in learning about Buddhism or meditation, I'd be happy to talk to you about either.

Cooking! Let's cook together! I'd love to help you around your kitchen and prepare dishes.

Countries I’ve Visited

China, India, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Scotland, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, Russian Federation