********************Please read "My Home" section carefully before sending me a request!********************

I am a 30 years old russian girl who grew up in Vologda (located about 450 km far from Moscow, North-West). I have lived in Moscow for 6 years and have graduated from the Faculty of Physics at Lomonosov Moscow State University. After my graduation I moved to Johannesburg, South Africa where I worked as a physicist at University of Johannesburg (did my research in the area of magnetism and magnetic materials). Moving to South Africa was the most adventurous decision I have ever made that affected my life a lot.

I learn foreign languages, especially German. I enjoy meeting new people from all over the world, spending time with them and listening to their inspiring stories. Travels are the best moments in my life, because travels always give me new impressions, new experiences, knowledges and friends. All this is very important to me.

In October 2022 I spontaneously decided to travel to Egypt for one month. There I met my fiance Bassem and finally in January 2023 I moved to Cairo! A few months later I found a job in Cairo and currently I'm working as a Microsoft 365 technical support advisor in German account. So far so good! :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I think Couchsurfing is a really good opportunity to explore new places, meet up with new people and learn their culture! And of course it's great if you can get speaking practice with native speakers.

While travelling you every time try something new you wouldn’t do at home and every day meet new people who help you to discover their culture. I believe there are a lot of good people in the world. And we should be more trustful and open minded. I believe in the kindness of strangers and know that each person I meet on my way teaches me something and leaves a mark in my world-view, even if we have spent just half an hour together.

Interests

As I am on Couchsurfing it's not difficult to guess that I like traveling so much. While traveling I always try to stay with couchsurfers to feel like a local person and to learn from people I stay with.

I often visit various Moscow weekly couchsurfing / afterwork meetings to meet new people there, to listen to their inspiring stories and to practice languages with foreigners.

As I mentioned below, I like to visit different film festivals. In my free time I like to spend hours in parks or just walk along the streets in the night city if the weather is nice. I also enjoy visiting events organized by the Goethe-Institute (German cultural center) which I find really cool and informative.

As a physicist I am interested in participation in physics schools or conferences for young researchers if there is an opportunity. It is interesting to have a conversation with people who can share with me their knowledges and work experiences.

• animals
• culture
• theater
• photography
• film festivals
• cooking
• chocolate
• wine
• beer
• coffee
• shopping
• movies
• traveling
• languages
• physics
• science
• language exchange
• volunteering
• solo travel
• round-the-world travel
• sightseeing
• travel
• art
• nature
• adventure
• tea
• german
• people
• africa
• bars
• couchsurfing
• cities
• exploring
• museums
• south africa
• meeting new people
• hanging out
• research
• sweets
• germany
• magnetism
• egypt
• help exchange
• experimental physics

Music, Movies, and Books

° I always enjoy visiting different film festivals. Every year I visit German film festival which is held in Moscow every December. Since I speak German, it's very interesting to me. Usually I like to watch serious, thoughtful movies setting me thinking of something important to me. Some of my favourite movies and series are: LOST (2004-2010), The Magnificent Century (2011-2014), Atonement (2007), My Blueberry Nights (2007), Gia (1998), Home (2009), Human (2015), Gone Girl (2014), The Girl on the Train (2016), Wild (2014), Zombieland (2009), Harry Potter (all parts), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), The Green Mile (1999), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Saw (all parts), Honig im Kopf (2014), Barfuss (2005), Dreiviertelmond (2011), Heute bin ich blond (2013), Exit Marrakech (2013), Am Himmel der Tag (2012), Lagerfeuer (2013), Victoria (2015), Stonehearst Asylum (2014), The Aviator (2004), Une rencontre (2014), Ready or Not (2019).

° I listen to different kinds of music, it depends on my mood. It could be rock, country, indie, jazz or techno. My favourite music bands and singers are: Within Temptation, ZAZ, Iron Maiden, City and Colour, Iron & Wine, Muse, Nirvana, Evanescence, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Pink Floyd, Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, NONONO, Trentemøller, Flight Facilities, The Fray, The Cranberries, Sunrise Avenue, Blackmore’s Night, Halsey, LP, Imany, Jain, Rammstein, Die Antwoord, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Keiner mag Faustmann, Scorpions, Alice Kristiansen, Stromae, Elliphant, Ibeyi.

° Currently I'm trying to read books in German or English. But reading research papers sometimes takes a lot of time. Some of my favourites are: Ian McEwan "Atonement", Anna Gavalda "Hunting and Gathering", "Billie", Tom Wolfe "I Am Charlotte Simmons".

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

° I have lived in a Turkish family in Istanbul for two weeks one Summer and one day had the chance to wear religious clothes given to me by my friend’s sister. In these clothes I went to the Suleymaniye Mosque, the largest mosque in Istanbul. I was so surprised how comfortable I felt in these clothes despite the hot weather!

° Actually lots of funny stories from my Europe trips stick in my mind ;)
I was living in Germany via Couchsurfing and HelpX for 1,5 months in Summer 2015. It was a really great experience! I stayed with 10 locals in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Potsdam and Nennhausen during this trip and met up with more than 50 people from different countries.

° Finally my decision to move to South Africa!

° One of the most impressive things that I have experienced in Johannesburg was visiting townships in Soweto. Little South African kids always asked me to take a picture of them and after that hugged me. It was so nice to see how happy they were while looking at the pictures of them in my camera.

° Our weekend with couchsurfers in Kruger National Park. First Safari in my life! It was super exiting to search for animals on the huge territory of Kruger National Park and to see wild animals in their natural environment.

° In October 2022 I finally got to see the Great Pyramids of Giza with my own eyes! The only of the 7 Wonders of the World that still exists until now. It was an unforgettable experience to be so close to the ancient pyramids and even to touch the ancient beauty.

° I trusted a stranger on the street of Old Cairo who took me around all the very local places on the old streets of a downtown Cairo. We visited some local coffeshops, small mosques and even took a Tuc-Tuc for a small ride.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you a bit Russian if you wish. Or we can organize a language exchange and teach each other our mother tongues =) And I can show you how to cook traditional Russian meals!

Also I can tell you something about different interesting physics phenomena, work in laboratories, science if you are interested in it. About scientific work at my faculty and the field of my research!

And I'm always glad to learn something new for me!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Depends on situation what they need and how I can help them.
But I'm always glad to share my couchsurfing experiences, to tell some interesting stories and to create good humour. And I would be happy to cook something delicious for you!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Egypt, Germany, Russian Federation, South Africa