I'm a PhD student in Slavic cultural studies at the University of Passau in Germany, in the final year of my studies. I enjoy it a lot as I am my own boss and can attend conferences in different parts of the world to present my research. One of the best experiences I had was in South Korea, it was my first time in Asia, and I couldn't believe I would love it so much... now I'm learning Chinese and hope to go to Bejing by the end of this year.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is a great idea worth spreading. When I travel for business or have only little time, I prefer booking a hotel... but when I want to discover the local culture, when I have time to share, I hate staying at hotels, they are so impersonal and one feels empty and lonely. I always prefer staying with the locals, be it couchsurfing or airbnb. I think this is the best way to get a country and its people to know - not only to see the sites and to eat local food but to speak with the people, to share experiences and knowledge, and to broaden your horizon.

Interests

I like studying languages, I love opera and modern theater, in my freetime I do sports (fitness, running, and boxing), I love exploring new countries, the most mindblowing experiences so far were in India, South Korea, and Uzbekistan. Travel changes us, it changes our perspectives and makes us more tolerant. I truly believe this.

• reading
• traveling
• foreign languages

Music, Movies, and Books

There are many books and movies I like, La vita e bella and Crime and Punishment are among them. I usually listen to music when I am doing sports - it is more like a background to me, though I love classical music and operas, my favorites are La Boheme, Carmen, and Nabucco.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've studied German so well so that people do not notice that I'm not a native speaker (though I definitely remember times when I was 11 and when I had no idea how to say even "hello" or "how are you" in German). And now I'm married to Daniel who is German and have a German name, it has become part of my identity. I'm very proud of this and try to share this experience by encouraging others to study foreign languages and to believe in their strenghts.

Teach, Learn, Share

I am ready to share all ideas, experiences, and knowledge I have - I think we all should do this to make the world a better place. Don't discourage others, make people believe in themselves, accept others how they are and try to understand them.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I like cooking, I can teach you some words in Russian/Belarusian/German and now even Chinese! I can tell you a lot about Slavic cultures and literature.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belarus, Germany, Russian Federation