ABOUT ME

I live in Los Angels. Study Comparative Literature at UCLA, work at a coloring studio where kids come to paint pottery. Speak basic French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, learning Japanese. I play classical guitar, bossa nova and some ukulele. I lived in LA for 15years, but originally I am from Belarus.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I’d like to meet people from around the world, share travel stories and practice languages.

Interests

Languages, music, arts, guitar, ukulele, salsa, swing. Hiking, swimming, kayaking, traveling with friends or on my own. I like exploring cities, making long-lasting connections with local people and discovering unusual things around me.

• arts
• dining
• traveling
• music
• guitar
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• kayaking
• swimming
• languages
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Kings of Convenience, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Jenelle Monae, Nina Simone, Esperanza Spaulding, Elliott Smith, Cesaria Evora, bossa nova, classical, RandB, Latin, Cuban, Radiohead, Bjork, RHCP, the Muse, the Cure, Queen, Doors, REM, Bob Marley, the Smiths, the Queen, First Aid Kit, Tom Rosenthal, the XX, Fleet Foxes, the Beach House, Jose Gonzalez, Alt-J, Charlotte Day Wilson, Belle and Sebastian, Thundercat, Michael Kiwanuka, Angus and Julia Stone, Blind Pilot, 21 Pilots.

Classical: Ravel, Satie, Granados, Grieg.
French: Alain Souchon, Françoise Hardy, Serge Regiani, Jessica Fichot

Film: Little miss sunshine, the Wristcutters, Zootopia, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Harold and Maude, Goodbye Lenin, Stranger than fiction, Paradise Now, Me and you and everyone we know by Miranda July, Maria full of grace, Philadelphia, Synecdoche NY, Amelie, Shopgirl, Happy-go-lucky with Sally Hawkings

TV shows: Blackish, Insecure, The big C, Master of None by Aziz Ansari, Trevor Noah. the Last man on Earth, American Koko, Splitting up together, "Girls" by Lena Dunham, Big Bang Theory - early seasons, Californiacation.

Books: Kundera, early Murakami,Bulgakov, Nabokov, Garcia Marquez, Herman Hesse, Kurt Vunnegut, Francoise Sagan.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I like going by trains. When I was little my family would take 3 day train trips from Belarus to Ukraine. There's nothing more fun than stretching on the top shelf, stick you head out of the window and watch the flickering scenery for 3 hours. Of course, by the end of the trip I would end up with a cold, but it was worth it. I don't travel that far by train any more, but I still take any opportunity to ride. Recently I took a train from Seattle to Portland, which was a calm, breezy ride. I saw how many lakes Washington state actually has. In the dining car I shared a table with a talkative man who happened to be reformed ex-convict ready to start a new life. I like to meet random people on trains and hear their stories.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you Spanish, Russian, English, the guitar and ukulele.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, Belarusian traditional songs, amateur salsa dancing

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belarus, United States

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