Hi!

I'm Magda - originally from Poland, but I have spent the last 4 years studying in England. I'm starting my PhD in Cancer Informatics at the beginning of October and this is my last such holiday in a looong time! If I'm not studying, you can find me on a bouldering wall, yoga mat or on a hiking trail (or watching memes).

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'd love to meet new people, cultures and get the most real experience from my travels. The same works the other way - whenever I can, I love to host travellers in despair, however this is restricted due to living in a student accommodation.

Interests

Apart from science, I love all outdoorsy activities. Hiking is the most relaxing thing for me, and my biggest dream right now is to complete the Orla Perć trail in the Tatra Mountains and then go for some via ferratas (anywhere). I spent many years practising ashtanga yoga, but that pretty much stopped after my trip to India (oh, irony!) - I'm trying to get back, but I'm taking it slowly.

• yoga
• meditation
• bouldering
• hiking
• geopolitics
• science
• climbing
• salsa
• genetics
• ashtanga yoga
• ashtanga
• bioinformatics
• molecular biology
• cancer research

Music, Movies, and Books

My music taste has evolved during the past couple of years. Currently, it varies from a goth metal with soprano vocalists to hippy indie rock, hard bass and vaporwave.

I read mainly non-fiction books - travel, reportages, geopolitics, biopgraphies. If you are in need of some good book inspirations, here you have two:
- "Hunger" by Martin Caparros
and
- "Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick.
I aaaabsolutely love these!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I managed to get back from India after having my passport stolen, and realising that I've been lied to regarding some paperwork for a good month. My resilience and drama skills went up by 10000000% after that trip! :D

Teach, Learn, Share

The best alpacas are from Peru.
Alpaca export is illegal in Peru.
Alpaca export is not illegal in Chile.
Alpaca smugglers smuggle Alpacas through the Andes from Peru to Chile.
I love Alpacas.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook a lovely vegetarian/vegan meal, talk for hours and sing the "nations of the world" song.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Poland, United Kingdom