Most of the time I am a stressed out PhD student with blood-shot eyeballs whose only dream is to come home, do nothing, sink into a sofa, watch a favorite show and drink tea with honey-nut cheerios. But somewhere deep inside me, still alive, is this excited, hungry for life, adventurous and curious little child, which I reanimate when I travel.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am not a huge traveller, but I am kind of an immigrant and I know very well what it means to live abroad and to be far away from your home. I've come to really appreciate comfort and coziness of a real home and got tired of the official atmosphere of hotels and their unreasonable prices (although some cheap hostels can be very cozy at times). I believe that it is impossible to learn about a place (a city, a region) from a tour bus window (although I love tour buses) and a hotel room. People are largerly what constitutes every place and their hospitality is a huge part of any local charm. I also work a lot and recently started feeling that I am quite caught in a box of too familiar activities and too familiar faces, so it would be nice to meet more people and spin new stories to my biography.

Interests

Literature (Russian 19th century, any kind of poetry, contemporary in English and Russian), languages, dancing (Argentine tango), nature and dogs(!!!), all kinds of animals actually, especially furry ones.

• animals
• dogs
• arts
• literature
• poetry
• theater
• acting
• dancing
• tango
• cocktails
• coffee
• drinking
• traveling
• juggling
• music
• boxing
• history
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Funkie/jazzy something, but not Jazz per se, some Latino, local St Petersburg (Russia) bands and Russian pop music of the "roaring 90s". Instrumental music, especially piano for some of the moods!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Ok, probably, the latest would be: surfed in the Pacific Ocean for the first time ever in life on the day when the waves were "very wrong" as stated by an experienced surfer. Also, fed a racoon from my hand once.

Teach, Learn, Share

Russian language/literature/history/film/music/ and - cuisine (BORSHCHT!)
Basic Argentine tango
English composition????......how to write an argumentative essay????...or literary theory???.......in case you need it?....I hope not!
Can recite poetry and explain what's so cool about Nabokov's "Lolita"! Can even argue with you about literature!

What I Can Share with Hosts

All of my knowledge, skills and interests as described in "Teach, Learn, Share."

Countries I’ve Visited

Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Russian Federation, United States