Why hello there.

I am Ioanna, and I am a 32y. old stay-at-home-mom looking for a job. I am a Human Rights graduate and a lifelong social justice activist. My pet causes are women's rights, LGBT rights and an academic interest in critical theory.

That said, before, I used to travel extensively and have been happily couch surfing - both hosting and surfing - for years. I hope to start travelling more again soon, as the little ones get older.

I live in Sofia, Bulgaria, with my husband Petar and our two children (aged 1y. 8 months and 5 years) and our black cat. Petar is a tattoo artist, and his interests are in painting, alternative art, sculpture, street art, metal and hardcore music. (I write this in case we're travelling together and need a host together/are to host someone at ours).

We're both extensively tattooed, but nothing extreme. Just in case someone minds.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

To experience new places through the eyes of locals, to share my stories and get to know theirs, to get a little closer in this wide wide world where we're actually all the same, as long as we keep an open mind.

Interests

I suppose people would call me a nerd; I'm into Japanese animation, books (gimme all the books!!), fan fiction, sci-fi, tattoos, (feminist) political theory, critical theory, feminism, social justice activism, history, old churches and buildings in general (I am a sucker for old churches, even though I'm no Christian. Ask me what I did in Rome. Or better don't.), Indian food, cooking and baking, writing, classic English literature, Shakespearean plays, 60s-80s alternative music, classical music/opera & ballet, writing letters/pen-palling, Marxist theory, alternative education and parenting practices, travelling, hiking, yoga. My, this list got really random!

• arts
• culture
• writing
• human rights
• womens rights
• cooking
• indian food
• yoga
• reading
• traveling
• music
• alternative music
• classical music
• metal music
• skiing
• teaching
• gender studies
• languages
• feminism
• alternative education
• academia

Music, Movies, and Books

This is one question I'm not a big fan of. I'd give it a try, with some names that just pop off the top of my head.

Music. The Dandy Warhols. Jain. David Bowie. Morcheeba. SOAD. Moby. Stoned Jesus. Rammstein. Robbie Williams. And I LOVE movie soundtracks and musicals! I think it's amazing to have music with a story. Some of my all-time favourite are The Beach OST, Jango Unchained OST, Spirited Away OST, Black cat/White cat OST. Hair (the musical), All That Jazz, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sound of Music I can never get enough of. I can sing most Disney songs by heart :D

Movies (and TV series). Kill Bill. Cloud Atlas. V for Vendetta. The Matrix. Sense8. Black Mirror. Pulp Fiction. Snatch. A Clockwork Orange. Spirited Away. Howl's Moving Castle. Avatar. Anything from the Wachowskis, Tarantino, Miyazaki.

Books. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Listening to grasshoppers. Shalimar the clown. Perfume. Shogun. Henry Pratt. The Master and Margarita. Catch 22. Harry Potter. The Lord of the Rings. The Handmaid's Tale. A people's history of the United States. A hundred years of solitude. Chronicle of a death foretold. The Narnia Chronicles. The Never-ending Story. I enjoy children's books as much as books for grown-ups. C.S. Lewis once said, "I am finally old enough to start reading children's books again!" and I wholeheartedly agree :)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Growing two tiny humans inside my own body.

Teach, Learn, Share

I'd be more than happy to teach Bulgarian, discuss alternative parenting practices, exchange recipes for The World's Best Curry. I am knowledgeable in gender issues and human rights, and I love having long discussions about life, the universe, social justice, and everything in-between. (The answer is 42).

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, of travels past and present, and of the greatest trip of all - life in all its glorious weirdness.
Cooking - I've been told I'm quite capable in baking, Indian food, Bulgarian dishes.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy