Hello dear human being! My name is Basia, but if it's easier for you, you can call me Barbara too (Basia is the Polish shortcut of this name).

It’s always difficult for me to describe myself and I change this description every couple of months (well, we are a constant change in the end), but three words I would use are: curious, passionate and restless. Curious, because there is an endless sea of topics and places to explore in this world and I hope I’ll never become indifferent to it. I don’t want to lose myself in a mundane routine.
Passionate, because there are certain ideas and certain people that ignite a spark in my eyes and in my heart.
Restless, because I tend to get bored while staying in one place for too long and also because I am still searching for my meaning, something to devote my life to.

What else? I am quite a sociable person - I really enjoy the process of getting to know the second person, the differences and similarities between us, and discussing. I love discussing nearly everything, because it enables me to sneak into other person's mind and try to understand the world through someone else’s eyes. I am rather a listener than a talker, but if there’s a topic that really fascinates me, you’d find me talking until 4am.

My life philosophy is based on regularly asking myself these two questions:
If you were to die by the end of this day, would you be proud of the person you have been? Would you be satisfied with life you have led? (if not, why?)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I just love the idea of opening my house to travelers and how much the philosophy behind couchsurfing destroys a belief that the world is a dangerous and tricky place. I wish that people would be more open and trustful towards each other, talk to passengers sitting next to them in the tram and smile to others while waiting at the red light and in my opinion couchsurfing really helps in that matter - it helps to build a genuine connection with a person that was a stranger just a second ago. I believe that we, as people, are all longing for that deeper connection and this platform is just perfect for that.

Interests

• poetry
• photography
• reading
• dumpster diving
• biology
• geopolitics
• history
• philosophy
• hitchhiking
• cinema
• deep conversations
• sunrises
• urban exploring
• vinyl records
• hiking mountains

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC
I listen to various genres, but generally I enjoy electro pop/dream pop/indie rock. Some of my favorite artists are: Arctic Monkeys, Metronomy, M83, Her’s, Alvvays, Chromatics, Tame Impala, Arcade Fire, Sigur Ros.

MOVIES
I am really interested in cinema, so there's a great chance we will have plenty to talk about if you like it too! My favourite directors are David Lynch, Charlie Kaufman, Lars von Trier, Spike Jonze, Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Petro Almodovar, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock. I also have a projector at my place, so if I host you, you can enjoy a private cinema!

BOOKS
My favourite books are:
Master and the Margarite, Catch 22, Sophie’s World, 1984, Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Glass Bell Jar, Slaughterhouse Number Five, Doors to Perception, Brave New World. I think my favourite writer is Milan Kundera, I loved everything I have read by him. I also really enjoy reading documentary books and popular science books.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I once made a pieróg (it's a type of Polish traditional dish - kind of a dumpling) in the size of my friend's foot (46 EU). Yes, we measured. Yes, it was fucking delicious.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I would be happy to cook you some Polish national dishes, teach you some Polish (or make fun out of this really freaking complicated yet interesting language), share my life stories or one of many useless but interesting facts that I keep a list of (the oldest living animal on the planet is over 200 years old tortoise called Jonathan, currently living on Saint Helena).

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Poland