Hey, guys!

I'm a Siberian girl living in Saint Petersburg for more than 10 years already. I travel quite a lot and I know that all cities have their own characters so Saint Petersburg and I go well together I think :) and I hope that during your stay here you will really enjoy it and fall in love with this place.

I'm a linguist and a translator/interpreter, majored in English and to my great shame I completely neglected my German since I graduated. Probably one day I can be more proficient in that language, too. I love languages - they are an incredible source of cultural information. Besides, I feel like I am a completely different person when I speak a foreign language and I love that about it. Now I am learning Spanish and a bit of Portuguese, mostly on my own, and take some attempts to learn Chinese from time to time.

I work as a business development specialist in a wholesale company and I have been with them for 11 years already. But I guess I have too strong creative urges so I decided to give my life a certain shake and twist and am now taking courses of jewelry making. And that is when I feel like my soul is actually singing. :)

I love traveling. I don't always have a chance to travel as much as I would love to. I fostered a stray cat a few years ago and I see how stressed he is when I am away for longer than a couple of days so I try to make it less painful for him. After all, that is now my responsibility, too. So, keep this in mind - if you are allergic to cat fur or anything like that, please, beware.

I was lucky to mostly have amazing experience wherever I go. Very often visiting a country for the first time I fell completely in love with it. It happened with me as I travelled to Italy for the first time - visiting small towns like Montagnana, Este or Monselice and seeing the incredible yellow fields against a dark cloudy sky - OMG.
Every time I come to Thailand I think I want to stay there. :) But I understand that being a tourist when one does not have to work there to survive is one thing, living there and working there when one needs to handle daily issues and stuff - a completely different experience.

I do not smoke. I used to rent a room when I relocated here in an apartment where all the family smoked right in their kitchen and since that time I think I am just physically allergic to it.

I love music, different, guess that depends on the mood.

My home. I am sorry I do not always have a chance to welcome you in my home but if I have a possibility - then, sure. I am new here, though I have some experience of hosting some people I knew through facebook and things like that only.
I cannot offer you anything fancy. I used to rent this small apartment for about 6 years and now I own this place but haven't yet had a chance to refresh this apartment and make it look like it is actually mine. I''ll send you details in a PM if you consider staying with me. My home is in the north of the city, the part that is called Staraya Derevnya, and you can easily access it from 3 metro stations at least. The new football stadium is about 40 minutes away if you walk - it would be a very nice walk if the weather is nice. About 30 minutes from my home you will find a very nice park by the sea - a place where we come to have a picnic, or sunbathe, or whatever you can do in a park. The stadium is very close by.

I love cooking. And my whole life can be in total chaos but regarding my spices - that's OCD-style order :)
But I would appreciate a lot if you decide to teach me how to cook some meals of your culture.

Well, ask me if you want to know more. I'll give you all directions I can :)

And I find that one of the key concepts in communication with each other is respect. If you come to me without recpecting me - sorry, but there is nothing I can help you with. and just in case someone thinks some "extra benefits" can come out of their staying at my place, nope, no benefits.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I thought about it for a lot of time. I would probably come earlier but my apartment is quite modest, small and nothing fancy - you will have a bed of your own but it will still be one room. In summer we can move the second bed into the balcony if you hope to have a wall between us :D
So, mostly it was due to expecting that others might have expectations of privacy which they only can get in the bathroom. But my cat might demand you to open the door while you shower :D

I think there should be more kindness in the world. And if I can help someone with such a simple thing as a temporary shelter - that's cool.

Interests

• books
• literature
• cooking
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• music
• languages
• travelling
• cinema
• cultures
• learning languages
• exploring new places
• seaside
• foreign languages
• exploring the world
• good wine
• new coutries

Music, Movies, and Books

Depending on my mood. Besides, I have read recently that people in their 30s tend to play all the time tracks they have been playing for years without looking for something new - damn, that's me.
But no, sometimes I do dig for something nice that is not yet on my playlist.
I like European cinematography authenticity (look at the incredible Spanish directors, or French comedies...) but Hollywood would also work for me.
Regarding books, I like discovering new names. Not always a successful strategy in finding a great book but allows you to learn a lot of new people in the industry.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Want to believe that I did a lot of nice things in my life but that is also the beauty of it that some things should not be told about to everyone.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love learning languages and I love how different we are. Getting a chance to learn something about other cultures and traditions and people, having a possibility to speak another language - priceless.

Let me know if you want to have a souvenir from my city made with your own hands. Now I have loooots of people from this creative band - we can probably arrange a class for you in glass fusing or in jewelry-making,
They are all in the center of the city so you can enjoy the time roaming around and doing something nice for yourself or your friends.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey

Countries I’ve Lived In

Russian Federation