Привет!

I'm Juho, a 26 year old student and traveler from Helsinki, Finland.

On the 12th of August, I will set off on a 20 day trip around Russia, traveling through St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and many other places. I hope to meet many interesting people and see a side of Russia that I haven't experienced yet. I actually lived in St. Petersburg for two months back in 2011, and I've been separated from this wonderful country for way too long. More than anything I'm hoping to get to practice my Russian, which I've almost forgotten! In fact, my hope is to speak mainly Russian with the people I meet ;)

I study linguistics at university, specifically Finnish linguistics. More about my interests below!

I'd like to consider myself as a chilled-out, easy-to-approach person. I'm definitely easy to accommodate: any moderately flat surface with walls and a ceiling is perfect!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think getting to stay at someone's home gives a much deeper impression of a country and its people than only staying in hostels. I love meeting new people, and I like to have an element of randomness in my traveling.

Anyone who accommodates me is of course welcome to visit me in Helsinki :)

Interests

Languages, dancing and sitting around aimlessly in cafes!

Those are the three things I usually list. I'm very passionate about languages - I'd say that foreign languages are my main motivation for traveling. Languages are a topic that I could discuss endlessly.

I've always been into dancing. I used to do breakdance for many years, but nowadays I mainly hit the dancefloor in parties and concerts.

On the other hand, I can spend entire days just sitting around in cafes. I enjoy all sorts of good drinks, whether it's coffee, tea or good beer. I don't like rushing!

• concerts
• dancing
• beer
• coffee
• partying
• drinking
• traveling
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

I like all sorts of bands, but usually they have one thing in common: you can dance to them. I also find myself listening to a lot of Finnish music. Finnish reggae is especially close to my heart! Try Maassa maan tavalla from the singer Raappana, and you'll know what I mean ;)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Back in 2008 we went Saint Petersburg with my school. I lived in a host family, and in a jar in their kitchen they had a drink unlike anything I had ever seen: MUSHROOM TEA. I tried it, loved it, got a bottle of it home and started growing my very own mushroom in a glass jar.

I now know that it's actually called Kombucha and that the silicone-like organism floating in the tea is not a mushroom at all, but showing off my "mushroom tea" to friends at the age of 18 felt pretty radical! Unfortunately, after a few months of shroom-farming, the poor thing started to mold and I had to kiss it goodbye :(

Teach, Learn, Share

As far as travelling goes, I think the most important thing is to not be in a hurry. Having to rush is a travelers worst enemy.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Good company and deep discussions!

On the other hand, no need to stress about keeping me company if you're busy with other things. A roof above my head and a surface to lie on is all I need!

Also, if you'd like to practice a foreign language, especially Finnish, English, Swedish or Polish, I'd love to be of help :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, Poland, Russian Federation