CURRENT MISSION

-Workwise, leaving academia for good and finding where I should be next...

-In life, learning to see the best in every person and learn from every new encounter.

-Reminding myself that nobody posts about their failures and that I am allowed to make mistakes.

-Travelwise, visiting every country in Europe that I haven't been to yet:
Non-EU
-Moldova (incl. Pridnestrovia)
-Albania
-Kosovo
-Montenegro
-Serbia
-Bosnia-Herzegovina
-Armenia
-Azerbaijan
-Macedonia
-Isle of Man
-Channel Islands
-Falklands
-Greenland
-Northern Cyprus

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I hate the "all-inclusive" type of holidays and tourist crafted tours and resorts. I love learning from locals; seeing things I wouldn't see otherwise (even if they look dull or too ordinary) and most especially, talking to people I wouldn't probably have met in normal circumstances. I love learning about differences but also seeing how we are all connected as humans and how many things we can have in common despite our radical different realities and backgrounds.

Interests

I love discovering new people and places. I am hyperactive and I hate routines, so I constantly need to be trying new things. However, I also enjoy having a relaxed afternoon at home, if I have good people around.
Whenever I travel I hate feeling like a tourist, so I do my best to try going to the places only local people go to, and it is one of the things I hope to exploit through CS.
Huge sauna lover, especially Russian-style banja; but any Thermen, SPA, steam room, hammam will do...
If we go dancing or for karaoke, I always pick the worst hits ever.
I like acoustic concerts in small pubs.

• sauna
• anthropology
• travelling
• linguistics
• ballet
• tea
• naturism
• climbing
• neurodiversity
• баня
• minortity languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Indies, mostly European movies (especially French), although I haven't had lots of time to watch anything recently. Some of them "Billy Elliot"; "Les fabuleux déstins d'Amélie Poulain"; "Princesas"; "Children of Men"; "Five Minutes of Heaven"; "Good bye, Lenin!".
[Ah, yeah, and I confess that I also like some of the Soviet cartoons]

Camus, Dostoyevsky, Kafka, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Ionesco.

5'nizza, folk music, Celtic music, bossa nova, anything related to the Civil Rights movement (gospel, Nina Simone,... ). Shitty flute (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHMmLi8z1HbyhTEvfBgXpyg)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Travelling (and living) for 8 months through remote villages in Belarus recording stories and trying to create a grammar.
Doing fieldwork in very remote villages of the Caucasus.
Visiting the Himalayas in India.
Travelling to every EU country and most European sovereign states.
Surviving a winter in Moscow.
Staying by a frozen lake in Siberia during winter.
Watching a ballet at Champs Elysées.
Following orcas which accidentally got into the Seattle bay, in a tiny yacht.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'm really excited to learn about your language and culture. I would be happy to learn at least a few sentences in your mother tongue(s).
I would definitely enjoy listening to your travel adventures if you want to share any.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My secret recipee for tortilla (potato omellette)
Basics of guitar or bass.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Vatican City State, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belarus, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Northern Ireland, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain