Hey, hey!

My name is Sofia or Sofi, I am soon turning 21. While my diploma says: International Relations I consider myself a student of humans and strange things they do (aka politics, art, music, philosophy, literature).

It has always been my goal to travel and see the wold. So at the age of 15 I went to Mississippi, USA and lived there for a year with host family. There I learned how it feels to experience the country from within. I had been fortunate to explore few states (Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, California ) and meet people who ''feel American".

Coming back home to Ukraine I started to miss this kind of adventure. Going on the typical tourist tour was a bit shallow experience because it lacked human connection which was important (and perhaps the best part of traveling) for me.

For the past years I have been active member of European Youth Parliament which allowed me to travel to different countries (Estonia, Armenia, Sweden) and not only participate in the Sessions but also meet locals and get to know their ways of life. I can't express how refreshing it felt to again experience countries from inside! Among best memories are Armenian dried fruits and wine while looking at the mountain Ararat, having Swedish 'fika' with traditional 'Kanelbullar' (Cinnamon rolls) and singing Christmas songs, or talking with Estonians about their digital bureaucracy.

Today I am exchange student again, this time in the Netherlands. This spring (2020) I am finishing my Bachelors and while studying takes most of my time I still find some energy and time to explore the Netherlands and countries around.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My passion to discover the world lead me to Couchsurfing. With it I hope to rediscover traveling once more . Like in the past doing conventional traveling is not interesting to me. I believe that Couchsurfing will fit my definition of a decent traveling experience which is basically meeting new interesting human beings, leaning different way of life, having exchange of ideas, discovering something new about yourself along the way, and finally leaving with the hope to see each other again :)

Interests

• literature
• sports
• languages
• psychology
• cognitive science
• cultural exchange
• talking with people
• eyp
• political philosophy

Music, Movies, and Books

Books that I recently read and absolutely loved:

F. Dostoyevsky "Crime and Punishment"
O. Sacks "The man who mistook his wife for a hat"
E.M Remark "All quiet on the Western Front"
Y.N Harari "Sapiens", "21 lessons for 21 century", "Homo Deus"
D. Kahneman "Thinking Fast and Slow"
M. Csikszentmihalyi "Flow", "Creativity"
F. Fukuyama "Identity: the demand for dignity and the politics of resentment"
H.Arendt "The origins of totalitarianism"

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

At 15 I went on an exchange to Mississippi where I had to speak English (which at the time I wasn't fluent in) & go to high school with American teenagers

Swam in the Pacific Ocean in the end of November (it was cold!)

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach:
Russian, Ukrainian and some Swedish
Cooking traditional Ukrainian food

Share:
my thoughts about a range of topics including politics, literature, psychology, lifestyle, arts.
Growing in the rural part of Ukraine I also learned to appreciate down to earth conversations about real problems and experiences. In fact, I am naturally fascinated by people so I never feel bored while having genuine interactions with others no matter what the topic is.

Learn:
more about movies (still figuring out how good movie is different from shitty)
to dance

What I Can Share with Hosts

my drive and curiosity

numerous life experiences

great company & meaningful and fun conversations

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Poland, Sweden, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, Ukraine, United States