CURRENT MISSION

Manage the transition to my new home and city. Learn Hindi.

ABOUT ME

I'm mostly social but with a little bit of quirky for sure. I can't get enough foreign food and foreign culture. I've led a musical, nerdy life up until this point and I'm not sure how (or if I even want) to break away from that. I've played mostly classical but am in to totally indie rock (generic, I know) and electronic dance pop, especially from Korea. I like friends who push me just far enough out of my comfort zone to expand my horizons without taking me all the way out of the cave. Comedy is one of the things I'm passionate about, whether it's absorbing or participating in. Out to get some culture and some delicious food. Can't ever get enough delicious food...

PHILOSOPHY

Prioritise: you can do anything you want, but not everything you want.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I like to host individuals, show off the places in which I live, share the awesome restaurants in town, and give back all the hospitality I've received through this program.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So far I've shown people around the city and hosted people in Seoul, San Francisco, and in my quiet town in Eastern Ukraine. I have been accepted by several wonderful people across eastern Europe, Russia, the Americas, and Asia. Now, I am looking to get settled and start hosting again. Can't wait to meet everyone!
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MY TRAVEL
Visited 35 states and counting!

Interests

Talking politics, travel stories, good beer/wine, classical music, Smash Brothers, trivia and board games, photography, getting out of my house, cooking, foreign languages, humour, walking, art and history, ancient Roman/Greek culture, video games, the occasional kayak trip, and my all time favourite: KARAOKE!

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Just a little joke for my Russian speaking friends. Ask me about it!

• arts
• culture
• writing
• photography
• dancing
• education
• dining
• cooking
• recipes
• beer
• wine tasting
• walking
• boating
• politics
• trivia
• video games
• board games
• traveling
• music
• classical music
• karaoke
• kayaking
• communications
• teaching
• history
• languages
• museums
• viola
• towers
• ferries

Music, Movies, and Books

I like musical artists (Metric, Bjork, 2NE1, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Deerhoof, Erykah Badu, of Montreal, Grimes, Blonde Redhead, Starlight Mints, MIA, Lykke Li, Sia, FKA Twigs, Kimbra, Tank and the Bangas, Janelle Monae) but most importantly Radiohead. Leave the country at home; bring on the nostalgic nineties!

Too many movies to count, but The Fall, Memento, Princess Mononoke, Amadeus, and Muppet Treasure Island are five of the ones I can watch again and again and never be bored. I appreciate either good story or good visuals, and one doesn't necessitate the other.

I've loved many books: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, and Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell have rocked my socks. You can never go wrong with the classics (Verne, Chekhov, Wells, Vonnegut, Flannery O'Conner), but the genre of graphic novels has increasingly enthralled me over the years. Try Black Science for a real mind-blower. By the way: has anyone actually read Song of Ice and Fire lately? So good! Can't even watch the series anymore because I'm so anticipating what comes next!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I watched the sunrise from a boat in the middle of the Atlantic, watched it set behind me the same day, then witnessed the sky at night: more full of light than darkness! The universe is amazing.

Teach, Learn, Share

I could teach some Korean or Russian, facts about hot air ballooning, music theory, or the secret to perfect corn bread (a Southern delicacy)!

I'm always looking to learn more recipes. Anything, really. Does anyone know how to tie knots well? That's always seemed useful but I don't know the first thing about it... Also I had to do more old-timey stuff in Ukraine, like gardening, sewing, hand-washing clothes, and bee-keeping. I would appreciate continuing education in that department.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Some great stories, an added voice to your clumsily strummed guitar, a home-cooked meal, and, above all else, respect.

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Poland, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, South Korea, Ukraine, United States

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