My name is Olga, I'm from Russia and I'm following my Path, whatever that may mean :) It's not easy, often incomprehensible and scary, but this is the most important thing for me in life, it's very interesting, and in the end, this is what brings joy and benefit to me and those around me.

I was born and live in St. Petersburg at the moment, but I’ve spent my childhood in different places. In early age I lived with my parents in the far north - in Yakutia, they worked there. I also lived in Estonia, Finland and a few months in the Dominican Republic, where I spoke with the locals in Spanish. Then I forgot it and now I'm studying it again :)
I’ve studied marketing in university, worked as an event organiser for quite a while. I really love it and I still do participate in the organization of festivals and live action games in Russia as a hobby.
I'm fond of outdoor activities - hiking in the mountains or in the dense forests and swamps, canoe trips on the rivers and seas. For me, this is an opportunity to change the context of urban amenities to the more natural ones, to understand yourself and the world around you better. Of course, there is also always a challenge and overcoming of it, which, as I believe is a way to temper your personality.
I really love traveling, which I take as a world exploration. I am interested in the mutual influence of the habitat and culture, the personality features of peoples living the certain territory, including in the historical and geological context.
I believe that nothing shapes personality as much as travel. With meeting people of other cultures, we ourselves become freer and kinder persons and then we can carry this freedom and kindness further, to new people:)
I also like to have fun in different ways, the main thing is to know the measure)))

Actually I have experience of Couchsurfing both as a couch and a host, but as a host I did it in my friend’s place in Moscow and as a couch I always been traveling with somebody who been looking for a couch) so I don’t have a lot of feedbacks and friends here.. I’m going to change this story now :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I believe that the best way to explore and understand the World is to spend time with people from different countries. That sounds pretty obvious and typical but, really, this is the exact reason why I am (we all are?) here)

Interests

• animals
• dogs
• culture
• architecture
• environment
• meditation
• walking
• traveling
• cars
• outdoor activities
• geography
• geology
• languages
• philosophy
• hitchhiking
• road trips
• people
• cities
• driving
• roleplaying games
• event management

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm pretty calm about cinema and music. Obviously I have my favorite music and favorite films, and this list rarely changes) I prefer to watch movies with English or Russian subtitles, without translation, even if I don’t understand a word. I like to hear the expression I see in the context, in the original language. I believe that translation, especially dubbing, often spoils the film.
It is similar about books also. I try to read more, but i rarely have enough time. Sometimes I listen to audiobooks.
My favorite books, the same for many years already are: “The Planet of Men” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “The Hour of the Bull” by Ivan Efremov and the collection of conversations of the Indian guru Nisargadatta Maharaja with his students “I Am That”.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I survived

Teach, Learn, Share

I can tell about qigong - this is a Taoist practice of the yoga type, aimed at improving the body and freeing the mind. I can show a few simple exercises, to correct posture, for example :)
I can share my experience of the Outdoor, tell about how to live in the wild away from civilization, how to prepare for such a campaign, how to choose the equipment.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can teach you a little bit Russian :)
I can make you a good coffee.
Good stories from my travelings attached :)

Countries I’ve Visited

Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Finland, India, Montenegro, Russian Federation