Hello! My name is Julia and I am a veterinary student who has been permanently "infected" by the travel bug! I grew up traveling to Eastern Europe in the summers because my mom is from there, and I've also had the pleasure of exploring several other countries throughout my life. In the summer of 2019 I went on my first solo trip to Amsterdam (followed by spending a few weeks with family in Moldova and Ukraine) and my whole perspective on travel has changed drastically (in the best possible way). I have many more hopes/plans to explore the world (on my own and with friends/family) in the coming years! My most recent adventure was a week in Portugal (Lisbon and surrounding areas). I wish it could have been more!

I am a lover of animals and the environment, and I study veterinary medicine (which has been my dream ever since I was four years old)! I also really love ballroom dancing (especially swing dancing) and my favorite music is anything from the 1930s through the 1980s. I was a percussionist for ten years, and for another two years I played the crash cymbals in my university marching band, so I would say I'm relatively musical (although I wish I could play guitar and/or jazz piano... Maybe some day!)

Another interest of mine is learning languages. Russian was my first language, but I've lost much of my fluency over the years and I'm now working on getting it back. But I love learning all languages, and I'm (slowly) trying to build my knowledge of Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, and French. At the same time, I enjoy helping others practice their English, which I do all the time when I visit my family and friends in Moldova.

I'm relatively new to all of this, so I'll probably add to this description when I have more time. But that is a bit about me, and I can't wait to make some friends from this awesome community!

Por qué estoy en Couchsurfing

I've recently discovered the joys of spontaneity and meeting new people while traveling. I love learning about other ways of living, and I also enjoy sharing my own lifestyle with others. I hope that Couchsurfing will give me a richer experience when I travel abroad by helping me make connections with people worldwide and peek into some other cultures.

Intereses

• animals
• cats
• dancing
• swing dancing
• ballroom dancing
• cooking
• music
• food
• learning languages
• exploring
• learning
• meeting new people
• veterinary medicine

Música, películas y libros

Music: Almost anything from the 1930s-1980s. (And some newer music as well!) I especially love The Merry Macs, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, The Beach Boys, Frankie Valli, The Bee Gees, Louis Armstrong, Simon and Garfunkel, but that is only a small list. One of my guilty pleasure songs is "Hey Ya!" by OutKast, and I also enjoy dancing to funk, soul, jazz, rock, pop, and more!

Movies: I enjoy realistic fiction as well as classic Disney movies and 1980s RomComs, but I'm really not picky with movies at all! I'd like to watch more Old Hollywood films.

Books: I enjoy realistic fiction, or even nonfiction when it's told as a story. One of my favorite eras to read about is the Civil Rights era in the United States. (I recently read The Help and I loved it!) I want to read more literature classics and in general I hope I can get back into the habit of reading often.

Algo increíble que he hecho

When I was 17 years old, I got to help perform surgeries on dogs in Thailand!

Enseña, aprende, comparte

Teach: Help practice English and some Russian; cooking (a bit); swing dancing

Learn: Languages; new recipes; ballroom/partner dances; play new instruments; traditions

Share: Appreciation for the simple pleasures of life, travel, and adventure :)

Qué puedo ofrecer a los anfitriones

Respect, a positive attitude, and great conversation :) (I also clean after myself. Anything more can be discussed!)

Países que he visitado

Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Grenada, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, United States

Países en los que he vivido

United States