Hi!

I'm Maria, a 24-year-old writer, student and Finnish as a second language teacher. My hometown is in Oulu, a lovely compact-sized city in Northern Finland, and I have studied in both Oulu and Helsinki.

University and work take up a lot of my time, but I try to find time for my passions as well. In the beginning of this year, I fulfilled my long-time dream and started playing bağlama, a Turkish folk music instrument. I also love reading and writing!

Feel free to read the article about my first Couchsurfing trip (in Finnish): http://osyk.fi/wordpress/?p=2777

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Seeing a destination through the eyes of a local has always fascinated me. I feel that Couchsurfing is such an autenthic and soulful way to travel, and it gives the possibility of looking at your own city through a different lens. Also it's always nice to get to know people from different countries.

Music, Movies, and Books

Books:

📚 Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés (a strong recommendation for all those who want to travel and explore but haven't yet dared to)
📚 I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
📚 The poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T. S. Eliot

Movies:
🎞️ Arrival
🎞️ Captain Fantastic
🎞️ Mustang
🎞️ On Body and Soul/Teströl és lélekröl

Music:
🎵 Mabel Matiz (especially the songs Dualar Değişir, Mendilimde Kırmızım Var and Karakol)
🎵Susanne Sundfor
🎵 Bijelo Dugme
🎵 Kate Bush

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I joined acting classes in high school even though I had terrible stage fright.

Teach, Learn, Share

Languages and everything art-related - this applies to both teaching and learning.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can cook for you (especially vegetarian dishes), help with translating/proofreading things in English or teach you a lymphatic/fascial face massage!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Russian Federation, Serbia, Sweden

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland