I grew up in Belarus, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles before moving to San Francisco in 2001. I am motivated by good and feel strongly about social justice issues. My partner and daughter and I live in Marin County in California, Bay Area, and work in education - something about which we are all passionate. Our daughter, Ella, is 8 and is one of our best friends. She is an interesting conversationalist and gets along with pretty much everyone.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

We're interested in exploring the world, considering moving from the US to Europe, but not sure where. We think couch surfing may be the best way to meet people and really learn about the towns in which they live so we can understand the location, the people, etc, and have an experience a little different from that of tourists just exploring to get away from things. We, as a family, really enjoy meeting new people and learning about how other people think and behave so sharing space with others is really fun for us.

Interests

• politics
• reading
• live music
• art
• nature
• film
• researching
• exploring new things
• music music
• i love meeting people

Music, Movies, and Books

I love most music; everything from punk, hip hop, classical, jazz, rock to folk. We don't listen to a lot of country, but I'm sure there are some hidden gems in there somewhere, like Patsy Cline. As a Lit major in college, I've read a lot of everything dating back to the age of Chaucer, but I prefer modern literature from writers such as Kurt Vonnegut, Zadie Smith, Henry Miller, bell hooks, Herman Hesse, Tim Robbins, Jane Austen, Maya Angelou, Arundhati Roy, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Bukowski, etc. There are so many things I am excited to read.

I love all movies, almost. I will really watch just about anything. Luke doesn't care for movies, generally, but loves all things Studio Ghibli. Ella prefers animated films and family movies.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

This is a hard question. I've moved from place to place and have been given so many opportunities to see and learn from those moves and experiences. I think that is pretty rare considering most people I meet here have never left their state, let alone their country or continent. I have traveled across the US a couple of times, once as a child and a couple of times as an adult, traveling with a jazz band who performed at many venues across the country.

I once stopped someone from getting jumped by a gang.
I learned to snowboard in the middle of a blizzard.
I hiked a tall waterfall in Kauai and later that day swam with turtles in the north shore.
I mentored several people into college and healthy living.
I fell in love a few time and am now married.
I made a human.

I don't know.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Love of the world at large and many stories from places I have lived and places I want to go. I love to cook and organize things and am great at cleaning and helping people get their lives together. We are handy and are good at small house projects. We'd love to share in any way we can.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Mexico, Spain

Countries I’ve Lived In

Belarus, Italy