Hi, there! I'm Tamara, a Serbo-Canadian who just returned to Canada after 24 years of living abroad! I decided to give Canada a shot to eventually become my homebase, and I'll be spending next 2 months (Aug-Sept) exploring what Toronto and the surrounding areas have to offer, before I make a decision whether I'll stay here or not.

Couchsurfing has been my favorite way of traveling and understanding different cultures for the past 7 years, and I'm looking forward to meeting some awesome people around here!

Here are a few words that best describe who I am and what matters to me, so you can feel if we'd be a match or not!

Dancing. Writing. Communication. Wellness. Traveling. Business. Art.

I talk a lot about nervous system regulation, and how having a calm nervous system is the foundation for anything and everything in life. I believe it sets the tone for the way you show up in the world, for yourself and others. ️

My curious and ever-evolving nature finds great pleasure in traveling, learning about life through experience, trying new things, having meaningful conversations with people from different walks of life, tasting delicious food, reading, and enjoying music, arts, and dancing.

I would say I have a very interesting blend of somewhat contradictory interests and worldviews - I am both idealistic and rational, spiritual and pragmatic, very sensitive and vulnerable yet strong and independent. I love humanities, just as much as I love business and entrepreneurship! In fact, I studied software engineering, but ended up being an English teacher and have worked in show business, too!

Over the years, I taught myself how to live a more slow-paced life, allowing myself to enjoy everyday things and have enough time to integrate my experiences. I don't do well in hectic environments anymore, and I am looking for people who share my values and have a similar lifestyle. That doesn't mean I am lazy, nor that I don't like to work - I just believe there is a way to honor our natural rhythm while contributing greatly to things that actually matter to us, at the same time!

You'll find me at my best when I am getting enough of vitamin "sea", sun, delicious food, great people, aesthetically pleasing views, Afro-Latin music, and dancing! :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Using this platform has changed my life in so many ways. I am forever grateful to the person who invented this because it brings so much joy, faith in people, love and genuine human connection. The generosity and hospitality of strangers around the globe blows my mind every time - and I've been doing this for years!

This is one of the very few online communities that operates in this manner and that actually uses technology to bring people together and make us spend more time enjoying real human connection and building in person friendships.

I really feel that CouchSurfing is both a social and cultural phenomenon! So much gratitude for its existence!

Interests

• animals
• performing arts
• photography
• yoga
• meditation
• traveling
• live music
• hiking
• camping
• skiing
• business
• entrepreneurship
• languages
• psychology
• hitchhiking
• nature
• spirituality
• healing
• local food
• latin dances
• german language
• drinking tea
• branding
• aerial arts
• breathwork
• pole dancing
• embodiment
• trauma-informed education

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: It completely depends on my mood. The list is literally endless, but most often you'll hear me listening to Latin (regeatton!!), commercial or Balkan and oriental music - basically anything that makes you want to move your ! I love listening to acoustic guitar, drums, trumpets, and classical music live.

Movies: So many amazing ones. Here are some that made a huge impact on me. Whiplash, Memoirs of a Geisha, Into the Wild, Eat Pray Love, American beauty, Seven, Forrest Gump, Life Itself, The Pianist, Die Welle, The Colony, The Shack... And my humor goes along the lines of Borat.

Books and Authors: Gabor Mate, Brene Brown, Oprah Winfrey, Viktor Frankl, Paulo Coelho, Anastasia books (Vladimir Megre), Harry Potter, The Master and Margarita, The Stranger, Man's search for meaning... and many other books on psychology, human relations and behavior.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

1. Started pole dancing.

2. Went on a 4-month hitchhiking journey from Belgrade to Barcelona (across 10 countries) with my boyfriend, at the time. It turned out we went all the way down to Malaga! That's almost 10 000km in total only by hitchhiking.

3. Started my own business.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love having deep and meaningful conversations. I am not big on history, politics or current trends, but can talk for hours about education, self-development, healing, trauma, feelings, psychology, sociology, and human experience in general. I am a great listener, and thoroughly enjoy listening to real-life personal stories of the people I meet, as well as sharing my own.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Apart from dancing, my favorite sports are swimming, trekking, cycling and skiing. I regularly meditate and do yoga, and I love somatic practices. If you feel like doing any of these activities together, I'd love to offer a shared experience!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Serbia, Spain