CURRENT MISSION

Going out of my comfort zone and exploring the world around me, as well as my own limitations. I want to interact and engage with places and people around me; the more diverse they are - the better.

ABOUT ME (I have no idea how to write these things, you've been warned)

Hey there, my name is German. Yeah, it's actually my name, this is what my passport says. Yeah, it's pronounced differently, and no, I'm not German. I mean, I AM German, but I'm also Russian. Anyway.

I moved around Russia quite a lot as a child and spent a substantial amount of time in Auckland, New Zealand. However, currently I live in the wonderful city of Saint Petersburg. Between May and September I work as a tour guide at foreign cruise ships, and during the low tourist season I teach and occasionally work with children and pyrotechnics (not sure which is more dangerous).

Given my exposure to people from the overseas, it's not surprising that I ended up being really curious about the rest of the world. I enjoy learning about culture and history of other countries, trying to understand the people from all around the globe. Travelling, in addition to being fun and exciting, is probably one of the best ways to expend your own horizons.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am not a big fan of resorts, tour packages and generally those experiences, when somebody takes you by a hand and drags you around. Not much of an adventure there. Ideally, when visiting a new city, I prefer to stay there for at least a week and try to experience the whole thing in depth. I enjoy simply walking through the streets, entering random cafes and shop, watching local people, trying to pick into places, where tourists are not expected. However, it can be a little difficult to immerse yourself into a local culture, when staying in hostels. That is why I am interested in the idea of couch surfing, where, in addition to being able to meet fantastic people and make new friends, you actually get the opportunity to experience a completely different lifestyle.

Unfortunately, because of my current living situation I am not able to be a host myself at the moment (I don't even own a couch to offer). However, if you are visiting Saint Petersburg I would be happy to introduce you to this amazing city, show you around or at least chill out for a bit. I want all visitors have a great experience here and I feel that it's correct to give back to the community of fellow travellers. With all this said, I can be extremely busy during the summer months, so please be understanding if I am not able to meet you during that time. I will still try my best to help you out with any information and tips, so don't hesitate to contact me, if you have some questions about Saint Petersburg.

Interests

• reading
• juggling
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• history
• languages
• circus
• learning new things

Music, Movies, and Books

Alt. rock, electro swing, a bit of everything else

"Pulp Fiction", "American Beauty", "Whiplash", "Leon the Professional", films by Wes Anderson, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton (I mean, just check top 250 films at the IMDb, I liked about 80% of them, plus some weird films that I'm not willing to discuss)

Short shories by Anton Chekhov, "Oblomov" by Ivan Goncharov, "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey out of the recent things I've read. Works of H.P. Lovecraft, S. King, and those creepy "Goosebumps" stories by R. L. Stein, obviously.

Yeah, in general, I'm pretty mainstream.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Not sure if it's amazing, but I once climbed a really (REALLY) tall tree and lived to tell the tale. That was neat. Also, I somehow was allowed to work at the Hermitage museum, the second-largest museum in the world, but it doesn't count, because I'm only supposed to tell you about one cool thing that I have done.

Teach, Learn, Share

Happy to teach: Russian language and history (of St. Petersburg in particular), English, Juggling. I can also show you how to solve a Rubik's Cube, if that's your thing.

Delighted to learn: history, culture, traditions and folklore of other countries, foreign languages, whatever interesting skills you are willing to teach.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Food and good vibes (in addition to any skill and piece of knowledge that I possess, but mostly food and good vibes). I would also be happy to contribute and help out with everyday expenses of hosts.

Countries I’ve Visited

Finland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, Russian Federation