Hi, my name is Artur, 35 years old.
I work as a strategist in a creative agency in Kazan since 2016.

I studied PR and Communications in Kazan, Orebro, Manchester, and London for almost 10 years.
I taught PR at University as a part of my PhD study. I also worked as pr manager in local government for 3-4 years.

I have strong family values and traditions that come from my grandparents, some of my relatives I know to the seventh degree. My mother is Tatar and father is Russian. I have a younger brother Timur, he is working on a phd and writing a book on consciousness for dummies.
I’m single myself so far.

As a guest, I’m respectful and considerate. I keep everything clean and in order. I like to take care of the place I stay in and try to bring joy to a host and new energy to the place as an appreciation.

I can be quiet and independent or fun and enthusiastic. I easily adapt and prefer to keep balance acting according to social context.

I use
Instagram: artur.kurtsev
telegram: @akurtsev
WhatsApp

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I joined Couchsurfing because it may bring something that is priceless to me, something that you can not get or buy as a tourist — Immersion into the local context, where A host can be your guide. It rarely happens with Airbnb or just individual traveling.
I like to eat where local eat, I like to go where locals go, I like to see how locals do things - chat, spent time, dress, cook, laugh, play, do, buy, how they decorate their apartments, how they treat their relatives and parents, how people live. It’s my way to understand what’s is going on and why. I don’t travel very often, that’s why it’s so important for me to get deeper while being abroad.

Once I spent a Christmas with a big French family of my friend Julien, that was like in a movie ) he was the only one who spoke English. We spent an incredible 3 days together and everyone was so happy.

When I lived in Vietnam I traveled deep into Vietnam villages with my friend Thu, she wanted to open a business selling bricks, so we went to conduct a marketing research. I Felt like an alien )) as people in the village never saw anyone except Vietnamese.

I travelled to Abkhazia, which is a small Caucasian republic. I travelled in a low season, where almost no tourists at all, and spent the best time with locals. I even volunteered and helped a local hotel to prepare for the tourist season, in exchange for being part of their living style.

These are my best experience in the whole life, because they are so true and genuine.

Interests

• arts
• contemporary art
• italian food
• wine tasting
• meditation
• live music
• communications
• philosophy
• psychology
• cultural immersion
• food
• laughing
• people
• exhibitions
• humor
• healing
• learning new things
• marketing
• street food
• astrology
• deep conversations
• cultural exchange
• sunsets
• art museums
• asian food
• live concerts
• asian culture
• vinyl records
• walking in nature
• tasting new food
• european culture
• woods
• classical art
• reading and writing
• travelling and meeting new people
• movies & books
• history and culture
• emotional intelligence

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: for almost 10 years I was a Dj playing drum'n'bass and vocal house music. What I like are rhythm and groove. At the same time with my grandma, we often went to opera, classical and jazz concerts, which I enjoyed a lot. I also like Balearic sound and some so-called psychedelic rock. Overall, I believe that all music as art can be good, it all depends on a context and situation.
My favorite instruments would be drums, piano and contrabass.

Moveis: for last year I watch a lot of festival movies and art-house, slow-burning movies that get you deeper into the ideas, life, and emotions. I like to discover movies as art. A few years ago I was so obsessed with Japanese directors as Takeshi Kitano and Akiro Kurosawa I just loved it sooo much. I also watched a lot of Japanese movies about samurais - I was conceiving the idea of how samurai managed to control themselves and their deadly weapons. I use movies as a tool for understanding and exploring different topics and switch from one to another, absorbing as much as needed to fulfill.
My top 3 of 2019 would be:
Happy as Lazaro (Italy)
Burning (South Korea)
Once upon a time in Hollywood (usa)

Books: Most of the books I read also reflect my current interests, and 95% I read is not fiction. I read about psychology a lot, astrology, relationships, emotional intelligence, cultural studies, health and professional books on marketing, business and so on. I haven't read much in school as was busy with developing my sense of humor and ways of interacting with people, I thought it would be more practical in life, and that's true. This year I read a hell of a lot, seriously, I split up with a girlfriend and by November I read 43 books.
Top 3 of 2019 would be:
From good to great by Collins
Black swan by Taleb
Emotional intelligence by Goleman

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Played a Dj set before 2000 people in Saint Petersburg in 2003
-Sold my car and went to Vietnam to launch a fashion start-up in 2014
-Quit smoking in 2016
-Spent 48 hours on dry fasting in 2018

Teach, Learn, Share

I love bringing new energies in people’s life.
I’m happy when a host get something special as well — can be an experience, insights, knowledge, motivation or time. Sometimes I act as a catalyst in people’s life, a reason to move or make change, to do something that people postpone for months or even years. I'm happy when it happens and people feel relief or find a new opportunity. I'm happy to bring a new perspective to people's life or just a new way to discover their city.
In other words it’s great to have a chemistry between individuals, it’s a special feeling.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Personal experience and wisdome
Traveling experience and insights
Professional experience: PR and Marketing advice, academic advice, etc.
Psychology and astrology experience
Russian and Tatar culture, language and traditions
Positive energy and good vibes
It can also be an English or Russian speaking practice
Traditional souvenirs
Expenses for food, fuel, etc.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City State, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Russian Federation, Sweden, Viet Nam