Lover of traveling and hostels. Been a budget traveler for about 2 years, and have a wonderful husband to share my passion with. We recently got into ultralight backpacking and spent 12 days in the Yucatan with only 16lbs of weight. We live with two of our best friends in a house in Phoenix (see more details below) and we have three awesome dogs with us, too.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to get to know more about the countries I am visiting, and spend time with the cultures and people. I don't want to travel like a tourist, I want to live in someone elses shoes.

Interests

I have a large hankering for well done lattes, with whole milk, 140 degree, extra foam, light roast coffee.... I'm a nut for coffee! After that, I have your typically russian-american interests such as:

Dogs
Classical Ballet
Tasty Dark Beer
Sour cream in my soups
Backpacking
Learning languages
Neuroscience
Making people happy!

• dogs
• writing
• books
• ballet dancing
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• beer
• coffee
• yoga
• drinking
• video games
• traveling
• investing
• guitar
• piano
• backpacking
• anthropology
• history
• languages
• neuroscience
• budget travel

Music, Movies, and Books

I love indie music, Regina Spektor, Arcade Fire, the XX, Crystal Castles, The Decemberists, Mindless Self Indulgence, Muse, Radiohead, Incubus, Sleigh Bells

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In 2014 I read 101 books, totalling over 43,000 pages. It was incredibly hard. With that, I have a lot of favorites some of which include:

Siddhartha, Lolita, Fahrenheit 451, Brain on Fire, Good Omens, The Martian, Millenium Trilogy, and many more.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach: Piano, guitar, russian curse words, how to invest in the stock market, random knowledge about the brain and neuroscience, and a lot of strange facts.

What I Can Share with Hosts

There is so much to share. Here's a glimpse:

Masha - F/25 - Russian - Queen of the house, investment advisor and a bit of a nut. Can share russian words, piano lesson, and great places to adventure in Phoenix.

Rami - M/24 - Syrian - Mr. Husband, bartender, great with guitar and cooking. Can share recipes for food and drink, great food spots, and insight into the nature of humanity.

Kari - F/24 - American - "Wife Number Two", counseler, writer, and incredible person. Can share yoga poses, dog kisses, and lots of laughter about puns.

Scott - M/26 - French - Kari's soulmate, anthropologist, star wars and star trek lover. Can share knowledge of lightrail system, insight into Arizona history, and video games!

Dogs:

Scottie - Brown - Little butterball that will eat anything you give him.
Prema - Black (red collar) - Sweet girl, very vocal. We've nicknamed her "Sgt. Grumbles"
Maya - Black (no collar) - Loves to lick and play, licks the air often.

Countries I’ve Visited

Mexico, United States Minor Outlying Islands

Countries I’ve Lived In

Estonia, Russian Federation, United States